stag

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. The adult male of various deer, especially the red deer.
2. n. An animal, especially a pig, castrated after reaching sexual maturity.
3. n. A person who attends a social gathering unaccompanied by a partner, especially a man who is unaccompanied by a woman.
4. n. A social gathering for men only.
5. adj. Of or for men only: a stag party.
6. adj. Pornographic: stag films.
7. adv. Unaccompanied: went to the dance stag.
8. v. To attend a social gathering unaccompanied by a partner. Used especially of men.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. The male of various animals, especially of the deer tribe. Specifically— The male red-deer or a deer of other large species of the genus Cervus in a restricted sense; a hart, of which the female is a hind; and particularly the adult hart, at least five years old, with antlers fully developed (compare staggard, and see cuts under antler); in heraldry, a horned deer with branched antlers. The stag of Europe is Cervus elaphus, now found wild in Great Britain only in the Highlands of Scotland. It is a magnificent animal, standing 4 feet high at the shoulder, with the antlers 3 feet long, having sometimes ten points and palmated at the crown: sometimes known as a stag of ten. The hind is hornless and smaller. The corresponding animal in North America is the wapiti, there called elk (Cervus canadensis), larger than the European stag, with much-branched antlers sometimes upward of 4 feet long, not palmated at the end. (See cut under wapiti.) There are several Asiatic stags, among them the rusine deer (see Rusa, sambur).
2. n. In commercial slang: An outside irregular dealer in stocks, not a member of the exchange.
3. n. A person who applies for the allotment of shares in a joint-stock company, not because he wishes to hold the shares, but because he hopes to sell the allotment at a premium. If he fails in this he forbears to pay the deposit, and the allotment is forfeited.
4. n. A romping girl; a hoyden.
5. n. The color of the stag; a red dirty-brown color.
6. In commercial slang, to act as a stag on the stock exchange. See stag, n., 2.
7. To follow warily, as a deer-stalker does a deer; dog; watch.
8. To cut off (trousers at the knee, or boots at the ankle).

Wiktionary

1. n. The adult male of the red deer (Cervus elaphus), a large European species closely related to the American elk, or wapiti.
2. n. The male of certain other species of large deer.
3. n. A colt, or filly.
4. n. A romping girl.
5. n. An improperly or late castrated bull or ram; -- called also a bull seg. See the Note under ox.
6. n. An outside irregular dealer in stocks, who is not a member of the exchange.
7. n. One who applies for the allotment of shares in new projects, with a view to sell immediately at a premium, and not to hold the stock.
8. n. The European wren.
9. n. An unmarried male, a bachelor; a male not accompanying a female at a social event.
10. n. A social event for males held in honor of a groom on the eve of his wedding, attended by male friends of the groom, sometimes a fund-raiser.
11. v. To act as a "stag", an irregular dealer in stocks.
12. v. To watch; to dog, or keep track of.
13. adv. Of a man, attending a formal social function without a date.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. The adult male of the red deer (Cervus elaphus), a large European species closely related to the American elk, or wapiti.
2. n. The male of certain other species of large deer.
3. n. A colt, or filly; also, a romping girl.
4. n. A castrated bull; -- called also bull stag, and bull seg. See the Note under Ox.
5. n. An outside irregular dealer in stocks, who is not a member of the exchange.
6. n. One who applies for the allotment of shares in new projects, with a view to sell immediately at a premium, and not to hold the stock.
7. n. The European wren.
8. v. To act as a “stag,” or irregular dealer in stocks.
9. v. To watch; to dog, or keep track of.

WordNet 3.0

1. v. attend a dance or a party without a female companion
2. v. watch, observe, or inquire secretly
3. n. adult male deer
4. n. a male deer, especially an adult male red deer
5. v. give away information about somebody