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stability

[stuh-bil-i-tee]
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noun, plural sta·bil·i·ties.
  1. the state or quality of being stable.
  2. firmness in position.
  3. continuance without change; permanence.
  4. Chemistry. resistance or the degree of resistance to chemical change or disintegration.
  5. resistance to change, especially sudden change or deterioration: The stability of the economy encourages investment.
  6. steadfastness; constancy, as of character or purpose: The job calls for a great deal of emotional stability.
  7. Aeronautics. the ability of an aircraft to return to its original flying position when abruptly displaced.
  8. Roman Catholic Church. a vow taken by a Benedictine monk, binding him to residence for life in the same monastery in which he made the vow.
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Origin of stability

1400–50; < Latin stabilitās, equivalent to stabili(s) stable2 + -tās- -ty2; replacing late Middle English stablete < Old French < Latin, as above
Related formsnon·sta·bil·i·ty, nouno·ver·sta·bil·i·ty, nounself-sta·bil·i·ty, noun

Synonyms

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6. steadiness, strength, soundness, poise, solidity, balance.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for stability

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • The stability of the Whig administration, then in power, depended upon the results.

    The Grand Old Man

    Richard B. Cook

  • Then, again, variety of climate should always go with stability of abode.

    Alarms and Discursions

    G. K. Chesterton

  • And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times.

  • Did kind Fates design it as a guarantee of peace and stability?

    Mountain Meditations

    L. Lind-af-Hageby

  • But neither can thought or mind be devoid of some principle of rest or stability.

    Sophist

    Plato

British Dictionary definitions for stability

stability

noun plural -ties
  1. the quality of being stable
  2. the ability of an aircraft to resume its original flight path after inadvertent displacement
  3. meteorol
    1. the condition of an air or water mass characterized by no upward movement
    2. the degree of susceptibility of an air mass to disturbance by convection currents
  4. ecology the ability of an ecosystem to resist change
  5. electrical engineering the ability of an electrical circuit to cope with changes in the operational conditions
  6. a vow taken by every Benedictine monk attaching him perpetually to the monastery where he is professed
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for stability

n.

mid-14c., "firmness of resolve, mental equilibrium" (of persons), from Old French stableté, from Latin stabilitatem (nominative stabilitas) "firmness, steadfastness," from stabilis "steadfast, firm" (see stable (adj.)). In physical sense, "difficult to overthrow," it is recorded from early 15c.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
stability in Medicine

stability

(stə-bĭl′ĭ-tē)
n.
  1. The condition of being stable or resistant to change.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.