Etymograph

English

catasta

Catasta comes from Latin catasta ‘platform for exhibiting slaves for sale’, from Ancient Greek κατάστασις ‘establishment, institution, method, condition’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- ‘to stand’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*steh₂-1‘to stand’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*stéh₂tis2‘standing, position’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*státis2‘standing’reconstructed
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEστάσις3‘standing stone, pillar’
  5. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκαθίστημι3‘to set down, stop, bring to land’
  6. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκατάστασις4‘establishment, institution, method, condition’root of καθίστημι
  7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcatasta5‘platform for exhibiting slaves for sale’
  8. Englishtodaycatasta5

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *stéh₂tis
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek στάσις
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek κατάστασις
  4. 4 Wiktionary, Latin catasta
  5. 5 Wiktionary, English catasta

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*steh₂-Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *stéh₂tis‘to stand’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*stéh₂tisWiktionary, Ancient Greek στάσις‘standing, position’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*státisWiktionary, Ancient Greek στάσις‘standing’reconstructed
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEστάσιςWiktionary, Ancient Greek κατάστασις‘standing stone, pillar’
  5. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκαθίστημιWiktionary, Ancient Greek κατάστασις‘to set down, stop, bring to land’
  6. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκατάστασιςWiktionary, Latin catasta‘establishment, institution, method, condition’root of καθίστημι
  7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcatastaWiktionary, English catasta‘platform for exhibiting slaves for sale’
  8. EnglishtodaycatastaWiktionary, English catasta

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- ‘to stand’

system, post, state, rest, stay, stand, distance, constitution, contest, consistent, stood, stadium, instance, assistant, establishment, establish, assistance, stable, stem, testimony, destiny, resist, stability, assist, instant, destination, substance, insist, distant, persistent, consist, prostitution, stud, prostitute, static, persist, stool, substitution, stationary, armistice, 153 more

through Proto-Indo-European *stéh₂tis ‘standing, position’

stead, stade, 9 more

through Proto-Hellenic *státis ‘standing’

homeostasis, 7 more

through Ancient Greek στάσις ‘standing stone, pillar’

stasis, 6 more

Today it means

noun A platform for exhibiting slaves for sale.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “catasta”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Indo-European *stéh₂tis, Ancient Greek στάσις, Ancient Greek κατάστασις, Latin catasta. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- / catasta

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