Dictionary
stope
Pronunciation: (stōp), [key]
—n., v., stoped, stop•ing.
—
n.
any excavation made in a mine, esp. from a steeply inclined vein, to remove the ore that has been rendered accessible by the shafts and drifts.
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v.i., v.t.
to mine or work by stopes.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.