stasis

noun sta·sis \ ˈstā-səs , ˈsta- \

Updated on: 21 May 2018

plural stases play \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

See stasis defined for English-language learners

Examples of stasis in a Sentence

The country is in economic stasis.
His art was characterized by bursts of creativity followed by long periods of stasis.

Recent Examples of stasis from the Web

Translucent creatures, often pulled from Dam’s own otherworldly imaginings, are seemingly caught in stasis inside transparent glass cells, cylinders and cabinets.

— aimee farrell, New York Times, "The Danish Glassblower Making Modern Curiosities," 24 Apr. 2018
Despite the club announcing the biggest change at the club this millennium - bigger than the move to the new stadium, even - Arsenal are still locked in stasis.

— SI.com, "From the Ground: Collective Failure to Launch Sees Arsene Wenger's Long Goodbye Splutter Into Life," 22 Apr. 2018
But once the smoke from UKIP’s wreckage has cleared, the national picture will be one of stasis.

— The Economist, "Council elections in England reveal political stasis," 4 May 2018
Which means that significant change will likely be preceded by a crippling stasis.

— brian barrett, WIRED, "For Apple, Quitting Intel Won't Come Easy," 3 Apr. 2018
That kind of stasis would turn the good economic news of President Trump’s first year into a short story.

— shawn tully, Fortune, "How Debt Could Blow Up the Trump Economy," 15 Mar. 2018
Discovering blueprints to make better equipment—everything from flashlights and scanners, to stasis rifles and even submarines—is in service of unraveling the greater mystery.

— steven strom, Ars Technica, "One main mystery makes survival in Subnautica worthwhile," 27 Feb. 2018
Cancer This week, your goal doesn’t need to be to keep the world in a perfect winter stasis.

— claire comstock-gay, The Cut, "Madame Clairevoyant: Horoscopes for the Week of March 5," 5 Mar. 2018
The president of the day, Thein Sein, a former army general, started reversing half a century of stasis and isolation.

— The Economist, "Myanmar’s government unveils a 238-point economic reform plan," 1 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'stasis.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of stasis

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1745

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

stasis Synonyms

-stasis

noun combining form

plural -stases

1 : stoppage : slowing

hemostasis

bacteriostasis

2 : stable state

homeostasis

Origin and Etymology of -stasis

New Latin, from Greek stasis

STASIS Defined for English Language Learners

stasis

noun

: a state or condition in which things do not change, move, or progress

Medical Dictionary

stasis

noun sta·sis \ ˈstā-səs , ˈstas-əs \

plural stases play \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

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Origin and Etymology of stasis

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Synonyms

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-stasis

Origin and Etymology of -stasis

STASIS Defined for English Language Learners

stasis

Medical Dictionary

stasis

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