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

Technology has advanced at the same rate that freedoms have regressed, and so the film’s sterile world feels caught in a semi-permanent stasis. —David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 27 Sep. 2024

There’s a weak, Hollywood-friendly structure here of lessons learned and conflicts resolved, but beyond Mother’s insular world of ambition and longing and stasis, nothing has been fleshed out in a way that supports the story. —Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2024

The labor market is in stasis, and the question now is how that eventually changes. —Courtenay Brown, Axios, 2 Oct. 2024

Constipation could usually be resolved by a change of diet, but in persistent cases of intestinal stasis, Lane proposed a more extreme solution. —Elsa Richardson, TIME, 3 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