stabilitate 
The work reserved for him who shall come to stabUitate 
our empire in thu East, if ever he conies at all. 
W. U. Kussell, Diary in India, I. 180. 
Stability (sta-bil'i-ti), . [In ME. stabiltc, sta- 
blete; < OF. stablete, F. stabilite = Sp. eshtbili- 
ilnil = Pg. fstabilidade = It. stabilita, < L. sta- 
liililii(t-)n, firmness, steadfastness, < stabilis, 
firm, steadfast: sets stable 2 .] 1. The state or 
property of beiug stable or firm; strength to 
stand and resist overthrow or change ; stable- 
ness; firmness: as, the stability of a building, 
of a government, or of a system. 
Take myn herte in-to thl ward, 
And sette thou me in etabiUe .' 
Hymns to Vinjin, etc. (E. E. T. S.), p. 26. 
What I see in England, in America, in Switzerland, is 
stability, the power to make changes, when change is need- 
ed, without pulling the whole political fabric down on the 
heads of the reformers. 
E. A. Freeman, Amer. Lects., p. 396. 
2. Steadiness or firmness, as of purpose or reso- 
lution; fixity of character; steadfastness: the 
opposite of fickleness and inconstancy. 
The natural generation and process of all things receiv- 
eth order of proceeding from the settled stability of divine 
understanding. [looker, Eccles. Polity, i. 3. 
3. Fixedness, as opposed to fluidity. 
Fluidness and stability are contrary qualities. Boyle. 
4. Continuance in the same state; permanence; 
specifically, an additional or fourth vow of con- 
tinuance in the same profession, and residence 
for life in the same monastery, imposed upon 
monks by the Benedictine rule. 5. That char- 
acter of equilibrium, or of a body in equilibrium, 
in virtue of which, if the position is disturbed, 
it tends to be restored. The term is especially used 
in this sense with reference to ships and floating bodies, 
in which the distance of the center of gravity below the 
metacenter is the measure of the stability. This may be 
considered as the difference between the distance of the 
center of flotation from the metacenter, called the stabili- 
ty of figure, and the distance of the center of gravity from 
the metauenter, called the stability of load. The stability 
under sail is also considered. Moment of stability. 
See moment. = SyiL 1 and 2. Immobility, permanence. See 
stable*. 
stabilization (stab"il-i-za'shon), n. [< stabilize 
+ -ation.] The act of rendering stable; stab- 
lishment. Also spelled stabilisation. 
The transformation of " stable " matter into "unstable " 
that takes place during the assimilation of food is neces- 
sary, because, during the activity of the organism, forces 
are constantly becoming "fixed, and with this "fixation 
of force " goes " the stabilisation of matter." 
Hind, XII. 602. 
stabilize (stab'il-iz), <' t. ; pret. and pp. stabil- 
ized, ppr. stabilizing. [< L. stabilis, firm (see 
stable*), + -ize.] To render stable. Also spelled 
stabilise. 
A written literature, the habit of recording and reading, 
the prevalence of actual instruction, work yet more pow- 
erfully in the same direction : and when such forces have 
reached the degree of strength which they show in our 
modern enlightened communities, they fairly dominate 
the history of speech. The language is stabilized, espe- 
cially as regards all those alterations which proceed from 
inaccuracy. Whitney, Life and Growth of Lang., p. 158. 
Stabiltet, >< A Middle English form of stability. 
Stable 1 (sta'bl), . [< ME. stable, stabul, < OF. 
estable, F. etable = Pr. estable = Sp. establo = 
Pg. estabulo = It. stabbio, a stable, stall, < L. 
stabulum, a standing-place, abode, habitation, 
usually in the particular senses, an inclosure 
for animals, as for cows (a stall), sheep (a fold), 
birds (an aviary), bees (a beehive), etc., also 
poet, a flock, herd, also a public house, tavern; 
< stare, stand: see stand. Cf. stall*. The word 
exists also in constable.] 1. A building or an 
inclosure in which horses, cattle, and other 
domestic animals are lodged, and which is fur- 
nished with stalls, troughs, racks, and bins to 
contain their food and necessary equipments ; 
in a restricted sense, such a building for horses 
and cows only; in a still narrower and now the 
most usual sense, such a building for horses 
only. 
And undre theise Stages ben Stables wel y vowted for 
the Emperours Hors. Mandeville, Travels, p. 17. 
The chambrcs and the stables weren wyde, 
And wel we weren esed atte beste. 
Chaucer, Gen. Prol. to C. T., 1. 29. 
If your husband have stables enough, you'll see he shall 
lack no barns. Shak., Much Ado, iii. 4. 48. 
2. In racing slang, the horses belonging to a 
particular racing stable.- Augean stable. See Au- 
gean. 
stable 1 (sta'bl), r. ; pret. and pp. stabled, ppr. 
stabling. [< ME. stablen, < OF. establer, < L. 
stabulare, lodge, house, stable, in pass, be 
lodged, stable, kennel, roost, < stabulum, an 
abode, stable: see stable 1 , .] I. trans. To put 
or keep in a stable, as horses. 
5884 
F.lizer was besy to serue sir Gawein and stable Gringalet, 
and helped him to vn-arme. Merlin (E. E. T. S.), iii. 5S5. 
Here, stable me these steeds, and see them well bedded. 
Scott, Monastery, xiv. 
II. iHtrans. To dwell or lodge in or as in a 
stable, as beasts. 
In their palaces, 
Where luxury late reign'd, sea-monsters whelp'd 
And stabled. Milton, P. L., xi. 752. 
stable 2 (sta'bl). 11. [< ME. stable, < OF. utalili; 
estable, F. stable = .Sp. (-stable = PR. i-starel = 
It. stabile, < L. stabilis, firm, steadfast, < xturr. 
stand: see stand.'] 1. Firm; firmly fixed, set- 
tled, or established; that cannot be easily 
moved, shaken, or overthrown; steadfast: as, 
a viable structure; a stable government. 
But the gode Cristene men that ben stable in the Feythe 
entren welle withouten perile. Mantteville, Travels, p. 282. 
That all States should be stable in proportion as they 
are Just, and in proportion as they administer justly, is 
what might be asserted. ft. Choate, Addresses, p. 12. 
2. Fixed; steady; constant; permanent. 
Withe stable Eye loke vpone theym rihte. 
Babees Book (E. E. T. S.), p. S. 
I have a stable Home-Employment proffered me by my 
Lord Scroop, Lord President of the North. 
Howefl, Letters, I. iv. 26. 
3. Fixed or firm in resolution or purpose ; not 
wavering, fickle, or easily diverted : as, a man 
of stable character; also formerly, in a bad sense, 
obstinate ; pertinacious. 
Stable and abydyng yn malyce, pervicax, pertinax. 
Prompt. Pan., p. 471. 
Stable equilibrium, flotation, etc. See the nouns. 
= Syn. 1 and 2. Durable, Permanent, etc. Hee lasting. 
stable 2 t (sta'bl), v. [< ME. stablen, stabelen, 
stabullen, < OF. establir, F. etablir = OSp. es- 
tablir = It. stabilire, < L. stabilire, make firm 
or steadfast, establish, confirm, cause to rest, < 
stabilis, firm, steadfast: see stable'^, a. Cf. stab- 
lish, establish.'} I. trans. 1. To make stable; 
establish; ordain. 
Be hit ordeynyd and stablyd by the M. and Wardens. 
English Gilds (E. E. T. S.\ p. 328. 
This book bore this title, Articles devised by the King's 
highness to stable Christian quietness and unity among 
the people. Strype, Abp. Cranmer, L 12. 
2. To make steady, firm, or sure ; support. 
When thou ministers at the heghe autere, 
With bothe hondes thou serue tho prest in fere, 
The ton to stabutte the tother 
Lest thou fayle, my dere brother. 
Babees Book (E. E. T. S.), p. 304. 
3f. To fix or hold fast, as in mire ; mire ; stall. 
When they the peril that do not forecast 
In the stlfl* mud are quickly stabled fast. 
Drayton, Moon-Calf. 
II. iHtrans. To stand firm; be confirmed. 
Of alegeaunce now leraeth a lesson other tweyne, 
Wher-by it standith and stablithe moste. 
Richard the Reddest, 1. 10. 
stable-boy (sta'bl-bo'i), n. A boy who is em- 
ployed about a stable. 
Stable-call (sta'bl-kal), n. A trumpet-signal 
in the cavalry and light artillery services, to 
assemble the troop or battery for the purpose 
of watering and grooming the horses ; hence, 
the assembling of a troop for this purpose. 
Will you go down to stable-call and pick out a mount? 
The Century, XXXVII. 900. 
Stable-fly (sta'bl-fli), M. 1. The biting house- 
fly, Stomoiys calcitrans, common to Europe and 
North America. It much resembles thecommon house- 
fly, ilusca domestica, but bites severely and is often very 
troublesome. As it enters houses before storms, it has 
given rise to the expression "flies bite before a storm." 
2. Another fly, Cyrtoneura stabulans, common 
to Europe and North America. 
stablelyt, adr. A Middle English form of sta- 
bly. 
Stable-man (sta'bl-man), n. A man who at- 
tends in a stable ; an ostler ; a groom. 
stableness (sta'bl-nes), . [< ME. stablenesse, 
stabilnes, stabulnesse; < stable 2 + -ness.] The 
state, character, or property of being stable, in 
any sense of the word. 
Stabler (sta'bler), n. [< ME. stabler, stabyller, 
< OF. stablier = Sp. establero, a stable-boy, < 
L. stabularius, a stable-boy, also a host, a tav- 
erner, landlord, prop, adj., pertaining to a sta- 
ble or to a public house, < stabulum, a stable, 
a public house : see stable*.] A person who 
stables horses, or furnishes accommodations 
and food for them. 
There came a man to the stabler (so they call the peo- 
ple at Edinburgh that take in horses to keep), and wanted 
to know if he could hear of any returned horses for Eng- 
land. Defoe, Col. Jack, p. 240. (Davits.) 
Stable-room (sta'bl-r6m), . 
ble ; room for stables. 
Room in a sta- 
Stachydese 
Stable-stand (sta'bl-stand), . In old KHI/. lair, 
the position of a man who is found at his place 
in the forest with a crossbow bent, or with a 
long-bow, ready to let fly at a deer, or standing 
near a tree with greyhounds in a leash ready 
to slip. This is one of the four presumptions 
that a man intends stealing the king's deer. 
stabletet, A Middle English form of sta- 
bility. 
stabling (sta'bling), . [Verbal u. of stable 1 , c.J 
1. The act of putting horses or other beasts 
into a stable. 2. Stable accommodation: 
shelter for horses and other beasts ; stables. 
Her terrour once on AfrkV tawny shore, 
N'ow smok'd in dust, a stubliiuj now for wolves. 
Thomson, Liberty, iii. 372. 
The villas look dreary and lonesome, . . . with their 
high garden walls, their long, low piles of stabliiuj, mid 
the paasee indecency of their nymphs and fauns. 
llowells, Venetian Life, xxi. 
Stablish (stab'lish), D. t. [< ME. xtaulis<-licn. 
stablisslicn, stablixxni, < OF. fstabliss-, stem of 
certain parts of cxtahlir, F. t'tablir, < L. stabi- 
lire, make firm or steadfast: see stable^, v . Cf. 
establish.] To make stable or firm; establish; 
setup; ordain. [Archaic.) 
Devyne thowht . . . stablijssyth many inanere gyses to 
thinges that ben to done. Chattcer, Boethius, iv. prose ti. 
To stop effusion of our Christian blood, 
And stablish quietness on every side. 
Shalt., 1 Hen. VI., v. 1. 10. 
Let a man stablish himself in those courses he approves. 
Emerson, Essays, 1st ser. , p. 238. 
Stablishment (stab'lish-ment), n. [< stablisli 
+ -meiit. Cf. establishment.] Establishment. 
For stint of strife and stablishment of rest. 
Spenser, F. Q., V. vlii. 21. 
Stably (sta'bli), adv. [< ME. stabely, stablely; 
< stable 1 * + -lyV.] In a stable manner; firmly; 
fixedly; securely. 
God disponith in his purvyaunce syngulerly and stable- 
ly the thinges that ben to done. 
Chaucer, Boethius, iv. prose 6. 
Thay saide a sterne, with lemys bright, 
Owte of the Best shulde stabely staude. 
York Plays, p. 126. 
stabulationt (stab-u-la'shou), . [< L. *fa&- 
latio(n-), a place where cattle are housed, < 
stabulari, pp. stabulatus, stable, lodge: see 
stable!, f.] 1. The act of stabling beasts. 2. 
A place or room for stabling beasts. 
stabwortt (stab'wert), n. The wood-sorrel, 
Oxalis Acetosella : so called as being considered 
good for wounds. 
stabyllet. A Middle English form of stable^, 
stable*. 
stacca (stak'a), . A Welsh dry measure, equal 
to three Winchester bushels. 
Staccatissimo (stak-ka-tis'i-mo), a. [It., superl. 
of staccato, detached: see staccato.] In music, 
very staccato. 
staccato (stak-ka'to), a. [< It. staccato, pp. of 
staccare, for distaccare, separate, detach: see 
detach.] In music, detached; disconnected; 
abrupt ; separated from one another by slight 
pauses: used both of single tones in a melody 
and of chords : opposed to legato. Three grades of 
staccato are sometimes recognized the slightest being 
marked by dots over or under the notes with a sweeping 
curve (a), the next by dots without the curve (6), and 
the greatest by pointed strokes instead of dots (c). In each 
rTr. rrr 'r t r* 
case something is subtracted from the duration of each 
note, and given to a rest or silence. On keyboard instru- 
ments like the pianoforte and organ, a staccato effect is pro- 
duced by a variation of the usual touch in the action either 
of theflngers, of the wrist, orof the forearm ; in bow-instru- 
ments like the violin, by an abrupt detached motion of 
the bow, or by a springing bow ; in wind-instruments, 
by stopping the mouthpiece with the tongue (sometimes 
called tonyuing) ; and in the voice, either by a detached 
action of the breath or by a closing of the glottis. The 
word is also used sometimes to note an abrupt emphatic 
style of speaking or writing. Staccato mark, in musi- 
cal notation, a dot or pointed stroke added over or under a 
note to indicate a staccato rendering. Staccato touch, 
in playing the pianoforte or organ, a touch designed to 
produce a clear and musical staccato effect. 
stacher (stach'er), v. i. A Scotch form of 
stacker 1 . 
Stachydese (sta-kid'e-e),n. pi. [NL. (Bentham, 
1836), < Stacliys (assumed stem Stachyd-) + 
-eee.] A tribe of gamopetalous plants, of the or- 
der Labiatae. It is characterized by a five- or ten-nerved 
or -veined calyx, a corolla with the upper lip erect, con- 
cave, and commonly galeate or arched, the lower lip three- 
cleft and spreading, four perfect ascending or included sta- 
mens, with thefonvard pair longer, and a four-parted ovary 
forming in fruit four dry nutlets fixed by a small basal 
or slightly oblique scar. It includes 3fi genera (of which 
Stachys is the type), classed in the subtribes Scntellarieff, 
