n. 1. A literary lady; a female pedant. [ Colloq. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ As explained in Boswell's “Life of Dr. Johnson”, this term is derived from the name given to certain meetings held by ladies, in Johnson's time, for conversation with distinguished literary men. An eminent attendant of these assemblies was a Mr. Stillingfleet, who always wore blue stockings. He was so much distinguished for his conversational powers that his absence at any time was felt to be a great loss, so that the remark became common, “We can do nothing without the blue stockings.” Hence these meetings were sportively called bluestocking clubs, and the ladies who attended them, bluestockings. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Zool.) The American avocet (Recurvirostra Americana). [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The character or manner of a bluestocking; female pedantry. [ Colloq. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Wearing silk stockings (which among men were formerly worn chiefly by the luxurious or aristocratic); hence, elegantly dressed; aristocratic; luxurious; -- chiefly applied to men, often by way of reproach.

[ They ] will find their levees crowded with silk-stocking gentry, but no yeomanry; an army of officers without soldiers. Jefferson. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. [ From Stock, which was formerly used of a covering for the legs and feet, combining breeches, or upper stocks, and stockings, or nether stocks. ] 1. A close-fitting covering for the foot and leg, usually knit or woven. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Any of various things resembling, or likened to, a stocking{ 1 }; as: (a) A broad ring of color, differing from the general color, on the lower part of the leg of a quadruped; esp., a white ring between the coronet and the hock or knee of a dark-colored horse. (b) A knitted hood of cotton thread which is eventually converted by a special process into an incandescent mantle for gas lighting. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

Blue stocking. See Bluestocking. --
Stocking frame, a machine for knitting stockings or other hosiery goods. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To dress in GBs. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A stocking weaver. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. [ Pref. un- not + stocking. ] Destitute of stockings. Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. [ 1st pref. un- + stocking. ] Deprived of stockings. [ 1913 Webster ]