English
instability
Instability comes from Latin instabilitas ‘unsteadiness, instability’, and goes back to stabilis ‘firm, steadfast, steady, sure, stable,…’.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEstabilis1‘firm, steadfast, steady, sure, stable, stationary’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEinstabilis1‘unsteady, unstable, shaky’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEinstabilitas2‘unsteadiness, instability’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600instabilité2
- Englishearliest quotation 2026instability2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin instabilitas
- 2 Wiktionary, English instability
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2026, Robert Tait, Trump may be using Nixon’s ‘madman theory’ – and similar inf: “The template is [Richard] Nixon’s “madman theory” of diplomatic…”.
Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEstabilisWiktionary, Latin instabilitas‘firm, steadfast, steady, sure, stable, stationary’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEinstabilisWiktionary, Latin instabilitas‘unsteady, unstable, shaky’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEinstabilitasWiktionary, English instability‘unsteadiness, instability’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600instabilitéWiktionary, English instability
- Englishearliest quotation 2026instabilityWiktionary, English instability. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 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, 140 more
through Proto-Italic *staējō
arrest, distantly, restive, 15 more
through Proto-Italic *staēō ‘to stand’
rest, distance, substance, distant, stationary, extant, distal, oust, instantaneous, obstetric, instantiation, 18 more
through Latin stabilis ‘firm, steadfast, steady, sure, stable,…’
Today it means
noun The quality of being unstable.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “instability”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin instabilitas. 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 / Latin stabilis / instability