Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “stably” come from?

Stably comes from Middle English -ly, Old English -līċ, Latin stabilis, Latin stare, and Proto-Indo-European steh₂-, meaning to stand or be firm.

stably (English): In a stable manner; A medieval hunting practice...

Definitions

  1. In a stable manner; A medieval hunting practice...

Ancestry of “stably”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishstableA building, wing or dependency set apart and...
2Middle Englishstablestable; Alternative form of stablie; Alternative...
3Anglo-Normanstable—
4LatinstabilisThat stands firm; firm, steadfast, steady, sure,...
5Latinstarepresent active infinitive of stō; stand; to be
6LatinstoI stand; I stay, remain; I am
7Proto-Italicstaēōstand
8Proto-Indo-Europeansth₂éh₁yeti—
9Proto-Indo-European*steh₂-—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- →