English
instability
Instability comes from Latin instabilitas ‘unsteadiness, instability’, and goes back to stabilis ‘firm, steadfast, steady, sure, stable,…’.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEstabilis‘firm, steadfast, steady, sure, stable, stationary’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEinstabilis‘unsteady, unstable, shaky’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEinstabilitas‘unsteadiness, instability’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600instabilité
- Englishearliest quotation 2026instability
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEstabilis‘firm, steadfast, steady, sure, stable, stationary’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEinstabilis‘unsteady, unstable, shaky’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEinstabilitas‘unsteadiness, instability’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600instabilité
- Englishearliest quotation 2026instability
Earliest quotation: 2026, Robert Tait, Trump may be using Nixon’s ‘madman theory’ – and similar inf: “The template is [Richard] Nixon’s “madman theory” of diplomatic…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- ‘to stand (up)’
state, system, post, stay, stand, assistant, stood, contest, assistance, stadium, assist, consistent, constitution, stem, resist, testimony, destination, destiny, persistent, static, consist, stud, insist, prostitution, persist, stool, prostitute, substitution, attest, stale, armistice, stead, subsistence, solstice, testimonial, astute, stamina, restitution, desist, stow, 141 more
through Proto-Italic *staējō
arrest, distantly, restive, 16 more
through Proto-Italic *staēō ‘to stand’
rest, distance, substance, distant, stationary, extant, distal, oust, instantaneous, obstetric, instantiation, 19 more
through Latin stabilis ‘firm, steadfast, steady, sure, stable,…’
Today it means
noun The quality of being unstable.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin stabilis / instability