stasis

1 of 2

noun

sta·​sis ˈstā-səs 

ˈsta-

plural stases ˈstā-ˌsēz 

ˈsta-

1

: a slowing or stoppage of the normal flow of a bodily fluid or semifluid: such as

a

: slowing of the current of circulating blood

b

: reduced motility of the intestines with retention of feces

2

a

: a state of static balance or equilibrium : stagnation

b

: a state or period of stability during which little or no evolutionary change in a lineage occurs

-stasis

2 of 2

noun combining form

plural -stases

1

: stoppage : slowing

hemostasis

bacteriostasis

2

: stable state

homeostasis

Synonyms

Noun

• balance
• counterpoise
• equilibration
• equilibrium
• equipoise
• poise

Example Sentences

Noun

The country is in economic stasis.

His art was characterized by bursts of creativity followed by long periods of stasis.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Nuclear power has been in an odd stasis for the past decade. John Timmer, Ars Technica, 8 Nov. 2022

That stasis was deepened by an Israeli blockade of Gaza and the entrenchment of a broadly effective Israeli system of control over the West Bank. Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 1 Nov. 2022

For many, this stasis reflects a collective inability to imagine a future that is alternately presented as utopian—self-driving cars, the promise of debt forgiveness—and dystopian. Jake Pitre, The Atlantic, 1 Nov. 2022

And if Musk manages to seal the Twitter deal, X.com will likely play a part in the next version of the company, possibly as the company’s new name, realizing a dream that has been in relative stasis for 23 years. Quartz, 7 Oct. 2022

In which case, Twitter’s high water mark was an unintended consequence of years of stasis in the product. Christopher Mims, WSJ, 5 Nov. 2022

In fiction and nonfiction, through messy dramas or astute insight about the human condition, authors examine how grief can be a reckoning, a nuisance, a period of stasis, or an incomplete project. Edna Bonhomme, The Atlantic, 1 Nov. 2022

The result is an era of stasis in already repressive nations like Russia and China, and déjà vu in democracies where ex-leaders seem to be putting narcissistic considerations above national interests. Stephen Collinson, CNN, 26 Oct. 2022

So, where does this perma-2020 stasis leave politics? Philip Elliott, Time, 21 Sep. 2022

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Word History

Etymology

Noun

New Latin, from Greek, act or condition of standing, stopping, from histasthai to stand — more at stand

Noun combining form

New Latin, from Greek stasis

First Known Use

Noun

1745, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Medical Definition

stasis

noun

sta·​sis ˈstā-səs  ˈstas-əs 

plural stases ˈstā-ˌsēz  ˈstas-ˌēz 

: a slowing or stoppage of the normal flow of a bodily fluid or semifluid

biliary stasis

: as

a

: slowing of the current of circulating blood

b

: reduced motility of the intestines with retention of feces