stasis

1 of 2

noun

sta·​sis ˈstā-səs  ˈsta- 

plural stases 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

-stasis

2 of 2

noun combining form

plural -stases

1

: stoppage : slowing

hemostasis

bacteriostasis

2

: stable state

homeostasis

Synonyms

Noun

• balance
• counterpoise
• equilibration
• equilibrium
• equipoise
• poise

Examples of stasis in a Sentence

Noun

The country is in economic stasis.

His art was characterized by bursts of creativity followed by long periods of stasis.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

There’s a funny phrase in Hollywood — ‘director’s jail’ — that gets thrown around whenever a filmmaker finds their career in stasis after making a particularly high-profile flop. —Damon Wise, Deadline, 14 Nov. 2024

As his questioning crosses taboos and boundaries, raising Sister Barnes’ hackles, cinematographer Chung-hoon Chung’s camera, which has been cutting between various degrees of close-up as the conversation progresses, breaks free from stasis. —Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 7 Nov. 2024

But when Nasseri embarked on his road trip, in early July, Joe Biden had still not pulled out of the Presidential race, and the country was in stasis. —Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2024

This calamitous stasis, coupled with Israel’s growing global isolation and increasingly gloomy economic outlook, contribute to a national sense of hopelessness and despair. —Aluf Benn, Foreign Affairs, 4 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

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

Noun combining form

New Latin, from Greek stasis

First Known Use

Noun

1745, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Medical Definition

stasis

noun

sta·​sis ˈstā-səs  ˈstas-əs 

plural stases 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