estable

Estable is a Spanish adjective that means stable, fixed, or steady. It is used to describe physical stability (por ejemplo, una mesa estable), reliability or consistency over time (un rendimiento estable), and emotional or mental steadiness (una personalidad estable). The term can also refer to conditions or systems that are resistant to change, such as una economía estable or un clima estable. In medical contexts, estable indicates that a patient is not deteriorating and is considered safe for the moment, as in “el paciente está estable” or “condición clínica estable.” Its opposite forms include inestable (unstable) and, in hospital notes, crítico (critical) when appropriate.

Etymology and related terms: Estable comes from Latin stabilis, meaning firm or fixed, and entered Spanish through historical contact with Old French. Related Romance-language forms include Italian stabile and French stable. The noun form tied to the adjective is estabilidad (stability), and the verb form is estabilizar (to stabilize).

Usage notes: Estable appears in both concrete and figurative senses. It can describe tangible stability (a structure, a device) or abstract steadiness (a stable economy, a stable relationship). The phrase estado estable or condición estable is common when discussing a state of affairs that is currently secure or unchanging. Distinct but related terms include estabilidad, estabilizar, and establecimiento, the latter referring to a place of business or an establishment, not to stability itself.

See also: estabilidad; estabilizar; estabilidad académica; términos afines en otras lenguas.