The Collaborative International Dictionary
biting house fly
Stable \Sta"ble\, n. [OF. estable, F. ['e]table, from L.
stabulum, fr. stare to stand. See Stand, v. i.]
A house, shed, or building, for beasts to lodge and feed in;
esp., a building or apartment with stalls, for horses; as, a
horse stable; a cow stable.
--Milton.
Stable fly (Zo["o]l.), a common dipterous fly ( Stomoxys calcitrans) which is abundant about stables and often enters dwellings, especially in autumn; called also biting house fly. These flies, unlike the common house flies, which they resemble, bite severely, and are troublesome to horses and cattle. They differ from the larger horse fly.