means To stop, delay, or come to a halt — whether deliberately buying time, or because an engine, vehicle, or aircraft has lost the power or speed it needs to keep going.

from From Old English 'steall,' a standing place or stable for animals — a cousin of German 'Stall.' The thread runs through 'a fixed spot' to 'a market booth where a seller stands' to the verb sense of being stuck or held in place. The 'play for time' meaning likely came later, possibly via the old thieves' cant 'stall' for a decoy who keeps a victim occupied while a pickpocket works. The engine sense — and the chilling aviation one, where wings lose their grip on the air — borrows that same idea of motion grinding to a standstill.