English
consistent
Consistent comes from Latin cōnsistēns, from cōnsistō ‘to stand firm, agree’, from con- + sistō ‘to cause to stand’, from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- ‘to stand’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*steh₂-1‘to stand’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*stísteh₂ti1‘to be standing up’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*sistō1‘to set, place’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsistō1‘to cause to stand; to place’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōnsistō1‘to agree with; to continue’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōnsistēns1‘consistent, standing firm’present participle of cōnsistō
- Englishearliest quotation 1661consistent1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English consistent
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1661, Galileo Galilei, Galilæus: Galilæus Lincæus, His Systeme of the World. The Se: “The Diurnal motion of the primum mobile, is it…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*steh₂-Wiktionary, English consistent‘to stand’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*stísteh₂tiWiktionary, English consistent‘to be standing up’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*sistōWiktionary, English consistent‘to set, place’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsistōWiktionary, English consistent‘to cause to stand; to place’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōnsistōWiktionary, English consistent‘to agree with; to continue’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōnsistēnsWiktionary, English consistent‘consistent, standing firm’present participle of cōnsistō
- Englishearliest quotation 1661consistentWiktionary, English consistent. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1661, Galileo Galilei, Galilæus: Galilæus Lincæus, His Systeme of the World. The Se: “The Diurnal motion of the primum mobile, is it…”
Word family
English words that share an ancestor with consistent, grouped by the ancestor they share, most familiar first.
through Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- ‘to stand (up)’
- state ← stat ← estat ← status ← *status
- post ← postis ← *postis ← *h₂pó-sth₂-i-s
- stay ← steyen ← estayer ← staeye
- rest ← reste ← reste ← rester ← restō
- stand ← stonden ← standan ← *standan ← *standaną
- distance ← distantia ← distāns ← distō ← stō
- stadium ← στάδιον ← στάδιος
- stood ← stod ← stōd ← *stōþ ← *standaną
- stable ← stab(u)lum ← *staðlom ← *sth₂dʰlóm
- instance ← īnstantia ← īnstāns ← īnstō ← stō
- establish ← establissen ← establir ← stabilīre ← stabilis
- stability ← stabletee ← estabilité ← stabilitas ← stabilis
304 more relatives in the full family tree
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Today it means
adj Of a regularly occurring, dependable nature.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “consistent”. 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- / consistent