stably

1. (hunting, historical) A medieval hunting practice in which a group of hunters and hounds are stationed around the perimeter of a wood during a hunt to prevent the escape of the game.Examples: "As described in chapter three, classic bow and stably hunting in the later Middle Ages and early Renaissance involved hunters waiting on foot at stands or stations for the driven quarry to appear within bowshot."; "Additions to the present manuscript found in no other contemporary manuscripts include passages on blowing the "prise", an account of fox-hunting, and a section on hunting with bow and stably (in which deer are driven past ready bowmen)."; "Twiti's discussion of hunting deer with bow and a pack of greyhounds (or “stably”) to drive them past the waiting archers is similar, for example, to that in Gawain and the Green Knight, and such hunting practices are referred to in Chaucer’s Troilus and Criseyde, The Book of the Duchess, and The Franklin's Tale."historicaluncountable