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statics

[stat-iks]
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noun (used with a singular verb)
  1. the branch of mechanics that deals with bodies at rest or forces in equilibrium.
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Origin of statics

First recorded in 1650–60; see origin at static, -ics

static

[stat-ik]
adjective Also stat·i·cal.
  1. pertaining to or characterized by a fixed or stationary condition.
  2. showing little or no change: a static concept; a static relationship.
  3. lacking movement, development, or vitality: The novel was marred by static characterizations, especially in its central figures.
  4. Sociology. referring to a condition of social life bound by tradition.
  5. Electricity. pertaining to or noting static electricity.
  6. noting or pertaining to atmospheric electricity interfering with radar, radio, the sending and receiving of wireless messages, etc.
  7. Physics. acting by mere weight without producing motion: static pressure.
  8. Economics. pertaining to fixed relations, or different combinations of fixed quantities: static population.
  9. Computers. (of data storage, processing, or programming) unaffected by the passage of time or the presence or absence of power: A static website contains Web pages with fixed content that does not change as the user interacts with it.
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noun
  1. Electricity.
    1. static or atmospheric electricity.
    2. interference due to such electricity.
  2. Informal. difficulty; trouble: Will your dad give you any static on using the car?
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Origin of static

1560–70; < New Latin staticus < Greek statikós, equivalent to sta- (stem of histánai to make stand) + -tikos -tic
Related formsstat·i·cal·ly, adverbnon·stat·ic, adjectiveun·stat·ic, adjectiveun·stat·i·cal, adjectiveun·stat·i·cal·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for statics

Historical Examples

  • They saw only the statics of territories; they had no conception of the dynamics of nations.

    William Pitt and the Great War

    John Holland Rose

  • This science, like mechanics and biology, has its statics and its dynamics.

  • I say that statics has not dealt adequately with these problems.

    The Value of Money

    Benjamin M. Anderson, Jr.

  • The phenomena of statics and dynamics are different phenomena.

    The Value of Money

    Benjamin M. Anderson, Jr.

  • He is working with the statics of the problem of money and credit.

    The Value of Money

    Benjamin M. Anderson, Jr.

British Dictionary definitions for statics

statics

noun
  1. (functioning as singular) the branch of mechanics concerned with the forces that produce a state of equilibrium in a system of bodiesCompare dynamics (def. 1)
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static

adjective Also: statical
  1. not active or moving; stationary
  2. (of a weight, force, or pressure) acting but causing no movement
  3. of or concerned with forces that do not produce movementCompare dynamic (def. 1)
  4. relating to or causing stationary electric charges; electrostatic
  5. of or relating to interference in the reception of radio or television transmissions
  6. of or concerned with statics
  7. sociol characteristic of or relating to a society that has reached a state of equilibrium so that no changes are taking place
  8. computing (of a memory) not needing its contents refreshed periodicallyCompare dynamic (def. 5)
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noun
  1. random hissing or crackling or a speckled picture caused by the interference of electrical disturbances in the reception of radio or television transmissions
  2. electric sparks or crackling produced by friction
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See also statics
Derived Formsstatically, adverb

Word Origin

C16: from New Latin staticus, from Greek statikos causing to stand, from histanai to stand, put on the scales
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 statics

static

adj.

1640s (earlier statical, 1560s), "pertaining to the science of weight and its mechanical effects," from Modern Latin statica, from Greek statikos "causing to stand, skilled in weighing," from stem of histanai "to make to stand, set; to place in the balance, weigh," from PIE root *sta- "stand" (see stet). The sense of "having to do with bodies at rest or with forces that balance each other" is first recorded 1802. Applied to frictional electricity from 1839.

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static

n.

"random radio noise," 1912, from static (adj.). Figurative sense of "aggravation, criticism" is attested from 1926.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
statics in Science

statics

[stăt′ĭks]
  1. The branch of physics that deals with physical systems in equilibrium, in which no bodies are in motion, and all forces are offset or counterbalanced by other forces.
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static

[stăt′ĭk]
Adjective
  1. Having no motion; being at rest. Compare dynamic.
  2. Relating to or producing static electricity.
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Noun
  1. Distortion or interruption of a broadcast signal, such as crackling or noise in a receiver or specks on a television screen, often produced when background electromagnetic radiation in the atmosphere disturbs signal reception or when there are loose connections in the transmission or reception circuits.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.