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stoop (v.)

"bend forward," Old English stupian "to bow, bend," from Proto-Germanic *stup- (source also of Middle Dutch stupen "to bow, bend," Norwegian stupa "fall, drop"), from PIE *(s)teu- (1) "to push, stick, knock, beat" (see steep (adj.)). Figurative sense of "condescend," especially expressing a lowering of the moral self, is from 1570s. Sense of "swoop" is first recorded 1570s in falconry. Related: Stooped; stooping. The noun meaning "an act of stooping" is from c. 1300. Stoop-shouldered attested from 1773.

stoop (n.)

"raised open platform at the entrance of a house," 1755, American and Canadian, from Dutch stoep "flight of steps, doorstep, threshold," from Middle Dutch, from Proto-Germanic *stap- "step" (see step (v.)).

This, unlike most of the words received [in American English] from the Dutch, has extended, in consequence of the uniform style of building that prevails throughout the country, beyond the bounds of New York State, as far as the backwoods of Canada. [Bartlett]

Also in South African English as stoep.

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Definitions of stoop from WordNet
1
stoop (v.)
bend one's back forward from the waist on down;
The young man stooped to pick up the girl's purse
Synonyms: crouch / bend / bow
stoop (v.)
debase oneself morally, act in an undignified, unworthy, or dishonorable way;
I won't stoop to reading other people's mail
Synonyms: condescend / lower oneself
stoop (v.)
descend swiftly, as if on prey;
The eagle stooped on the mice in the field
stoop (v.)
sag, bend, bend over or down;
the rocks stooped down over the hiking path
stoop (v.)
carry oneself, often habitually, with head, shoulders, and upper back bent forward;
The old man was stooping but he could walk around without a cane
2
stoop (n.)
an inclination of the top half of the body forward and downward;
stoop (n.)
basin for holy water;
Synonyms: stoup
stoop (n.)
small porch or set of steps at the front entrance of a house;
Synonyms: stoep
From wordnet.princeton.edu