static

Where does the word "static" come from? It comes from Greek histanai, passing through Greek and New Latin before entering English (1600s).

Static’s story begins in Greek: histanai meant “to stand.” The root of 'stasis' and 'ecstatic'. Within Greek, it grew into statikos by ancient. Causing to stand still, weighing, from histanai. From there it passed into New Latin as staticus by 1600s. Carried into scholarly Latin for the science of bodies at rest. It reached English by 1600s as static. Settled as the English word for something not moving or changing. Today, static means not moving or changing, or interference in an electronic signal.

1. Stage 1 · Greek · ancient histanai "to stand", the root of 'stasis' and 'ecstatic'.
2. Stage 2 · Greek · ancient statikos "causing to stand still, weighing", causing to stand still, weighing, from histanai.
3. Stage 3 · New Latin · 1600s staticus "relating to bodies at rest", carried into scholarly Latin for the science of bodies at rest.
4. Stage 4 · English · 1600s static "not moving, changing, or progressing", settled as the English word for something not moving or changing.