stationary

English

Etymology

From Latin stationarius, from statio, ultimately from stō (“to stand”). Doublet of stationer.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈsteɪʃ(ə)n(ə)ɹi/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (US) enPR: stāʹshə-nĕr'ē, IPA^(key): /ˈsteɪʃəˌnɛɹi/
• Homophone: stationery
• Hyphenation: sta‧tion‧ary

Adjective

stationary (not comparable)

1. Not moving.

   The train remained stationary for a few moments, before lurching forward along the track.

2. Incapable of being moved.
3. Unchanging.

Synonyms

• (not moving): fixed, immobile, motionless, still, stock-still, unmoving
• (incapable of being moved): immobile, unmoveable
• (unchanging): changeless, constant, immutable, unchanging

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “not moving”): in motion, moving, on the move
• (antonym(s) of “incapable of being moved”): mobile, moveable
• (antonym(s) of “unchanging”): changing, mutable, variable

Derived terms

• cyclostationary
• geostationary
• hydrostationary
• non-stationary
• nonstationary
• photostationary
• quasistationary
• semistationary
• stationary air
• stationary bicycle
• stationary bike
• stationary distribution
• stationary engine
• stationary front
• stationary phase
• stationary phase approximation
• stationary point
• stationary wave
• strict-sense stationary

 

Translations

not moving

• Armenian: անշարժ (hy) (anšarž)
• Catalan: estacionari
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 不动 (zh) (bùdòng)

• Dutch: stationair (nl), stilstaand (nl)
• Esperanto: haltigita
• Finnish: liikkumaton (fi), paikallaan oleva (attributive); paikallaan, liikkumatta (fi) (adverbial)
• French: stationnaire (fr) m or f
• German: stationär (de)
• Hungarian: mozdulatlan (hu)
• Japanese: 止まっている (tomatteiru), 静止した (sēshi shita)
• Korean: 멈춰 있는 (meomchwo inneun)
• Latin: statīvus
• Maori: upa, whakaroau
• Portuguese: estacionário (pt)
• Romanian: staționar (ro)
• Russian: неподви́жный (ru) (nepodvížnyj)
• Spanish: estacionario (es)
• Tagalog: digala
• Turkish: sabit (tr), durağan (tr), hareketsiz (tr), stasyoner
• Ukrainian: нерухо́мий (neruxómyj)

incapable of being moved

• Bulgarian: стациона́рен (stacionáren)
• Catalan: immòbil (ca)
• Dutch: onverzettelijk (nl)
• Finnish: kiinteä (fi)
• German: stationär (de), unbeweglich (de), ortsgebunden (de), standortgebunden
• Japanese: 固定された (kotē sareta)
• Korean: 고정된 (gojeongdoen)
• Latin: immōbilis (la)
• Portuguese: estacionário (pt)
• Russian: стациона́рный (ru) (stacionárnyj)
• Spanish: inamovible (es)
• Turkish: stasyoner
• Ukrainian: стаціона́рний (stacionárnyj)

unchanging

• Bulgarian: неизменен (bg) (neizmenen)
• Catalan: estacionari
• Dutch: onveranderlijk (nl)
• Finnish: muuttumaton (fi), pysähtynyt (fi)
• Japanese: 変わらない (kawaranai)
• Korean: 변함없는 (byeonhameomneun), 고정된 (gojeongdoen)
• Portuguese: estacionário (pt)
• Romanian: staționar (ro), neschimbător (ro)
• Russian: постоя́нный (ru) (postojánnyj)
• Spanish: estacionario (es)
• Turkish: sabit (tr), durağan (tr)
• Ukrainian: пості́йний (postíjnyj)

Noun

stationary (plural stationaries)

1. (obsolete, rare) One who, or that which, is stationary, such as a planet when apparently it has neither progressive nor retrograde motion.
   • 1601, C[aius] Plinius Secundus [i.e., Pliny the Elder], “[Book II.]”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Historie of the World. Commonly Called, The Naturall Historie of C. Plinius Secundus. […], (please specify |tome=1 or 2), London: […] Adam Islip, →OCLC:

     As also, that then they [the planets] are Stationaries in their houses which be in the middle points of the latitudes, which they cal eclipticks.

2. Misspelling of stationery.

See also

• stationary point
• stationery