stocking

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
stocking/ˈstɒkɪŋ/

▶noun

• 1 a woman's garment that fits closely over the foot and leg, typically made of fine knitted nylon yarn, held up by suspenders or an elasticated strip at the upper thigh.

  ■ a cylindrical bandage or other medical covering for the leg resembling a stocking.

• 2 US or dated a long sock worn by men.

• 3 a real or ornamental stocking hung up by children on Christmas Eve for Father Christmas to fill with presents.

• 4 a white marking of the lower part of a horse's leg.

– derivatives
stockinged adjective,
stockingless adjective.

– origin C16: from stock in the dial. sense ‘stocking’ + -ing1.