eustasy

or eu·sta·cy

[ yoo-stuh-see ]

/ ˈyu stə si /

noun, plural eu·sta·sies. Geology.

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.

Nearby words

eustace, eustachian, eustachian tube, eustachio, eustacia, eustasy, eustatic, eustele, eustyle, eusystole, eutaxia

Origin of eustasy

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

Related forms

eu·stat·ic

[yoo-stat-ik] /yuˈstæt ɪk/, adjectiveeu·stat·i·cal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Science definitions for eustasy

eustasy

[ yōō′stə-sē ]

A uniform worldwide change in sea level caused especially by fluctuations in the amount of water taken up by continental and polar icecaps, or by a change in the capacity of ocean basins.

Related forms

eustatic (yōō-stăt′ĭk)