eustasy

or eu·sta·cy

[ yoo-stuh-see ]

noun

, Geology.

, plural eu·sta·sies.

1. any uniformly global change of sea level that may reflect a change in the quantity of water in the ocean, or a change in the shape and capacity of the ocean basins.

Other Words From

• eu·stat·ic [yoo-, stat, -ik], adjective
• eu·stati·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of eustasy¹

1945–50; nominalization of eustatic caused by eustasy (< German eustatisch, coined by Austrian geologist Edward Suess (1831–1914); eu-, static ), with -stasy for -stasis stasis, probably on the model of ecstasy