Stabilize

How to spell stabilize

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce stabilize

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does stabilize mean?

1. verbTo make something steady, firm, or no longer changing.

Stabilize in a sentence

• The central bank acted quickly to stabilize the currency.

• Engineers added steel braces to stabilize the old bridge.

Where does stabilize come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This verb traces back to the Latin adjective stabilis, meaning 'firm', 'steady', or 'standing fast', which itself grew from the verb stare, meaning 'to stand'. The same root sits inside familiar relatives such as 'stable', 'establish', and 'stability'. English already had the noun and adjective 'stable' by the medieval period through Old French, but the verb 'stabilize' is a much later, deliberately formed word, appearing in the nineteenth century as writers needed a precise term for 'to make steady or constant'. The ending was modelled on the productive -ize suffix (ultimately from the Greek -izein, used to form verbs meaning 'to make into' or 'to render'), which is why the spelling carries a z. Knowing that the root is the standing, steadying stare can help you keep the calm, balanced sense in mind, while the -ize ending reminds you it is an action of making something steady.

How the word is built

• stable (from Latin stabilis: steady, firm)
• -ize (verb-forming suffix: to make or render)

British and American spelling

Stabilize is the American spelling. British English spells it stabilise.