English Reference
Noun

stasis

n.
C1 Advanced UK /stˈeɪsɪs/ sta·sis

n.a state where nothing changes or moves. It is often used to describe a situation that is stuck and needs to be fixed.

n.a state of inactivity or equilibrium in which no significant change occurs. Often used in scientific contexts to describe the preservation of organisms in a fossilized state or in social contexts to describe a lack of progress.


SIMPLE

The company is in a state of stasis and needs new ideas.

CONTEXTUAL

The committee's decision to delay the vote kept the project in a state of legal stasis for over a year.

COMPLEX

The discovery of the fossilized remains suggested that the creature had been trapped in a state of perfect stasis for millions of years, preserving its cellular structure against the decay of time.


From New Latin stasis, from Ancient Greek στάσις (stásis). See the doublet stead.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin Ancient Greek στάσις
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Occasional
Updated