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Origin and history of stasis

stasis(n.)

in pathology, "a stoppage of circulation," 1745, from medical Latin, a specialized use of Greek stasis "a standing still, a standing; the posture of standing; a position, a point of the compass; position, state, or condition of anything;" also "a party, a company, a sect," especially one for seditious purposes. This is related to statos "placed," verbal adjective of histēmi "cause to stand" (from PIE root *sta- "to stand, make or be firm").

The general sense of "immobility, stagnation" is by 1920; by 1942 in Reich's psychological theory. Plural is staseis or stases.

Entries linking to stasis

"tendency toward stability among interdependent elements," also homœostasis, 1926 (W.B. Cannon, "Physiological Regulation of Normal States"); see homeo- "similar to" + stasis "a standing still." Related: Homeostatic.

Greek word meaning "substance; subsistence;" from hypo "under, beneath" (see hypo-) + stasis "a standing, a position" (see stasis). Used in Ecclesiastical Greek since earliest times for "person" of God in the Trinity. This led to centuries of wrangling over the definition. "In the necessity they were under of expressing themselves strongly against the Sabellians, the Greeks made choice of the word hypostasis, and the Latins of persona ; which change proved the occasion of endless disagreement" ["Pantologia, A New Cabinet Cyclopaedia," London, 1819]. The same word in old medicine meant "sediment in the urine."

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