Steady

How to spell steady

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce steady

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does steady mean?

1. adjectiveFirmly fixed, balanced, or not likely to move or change.
2. verbTo make or keep something firm, balanced, or calm.

Steady in a sentence

• adjective

  The ladder felt steady once he wedged it against the wall.

• verb

  He reached out to steady the wobbling table before the glasses fell.

• adjective

  A steady income makes it easier to plan the household budget.

• verb

  She took a deep breath to steady her nerves before the interview.

Where does steady come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

Steady grows out of the old noun 'stead', which in Old English was 'stede' and meant a place, a position, or a firm standing spot; that sense survives in expressions like 'in his stead' and in place names ending in '-stead'. The word is thoroughly Germanic, closely related to Dutch 'stede' and German 'Stadt' (a town, literally a settled place), all tracing back to a root meaning 'to stand'. Adding the adjective ending '-y' produced 'steady' in Middle English, with the literal idea of being firmly placed and not wobbling. From that physical sense of standing firm came the figurative meanings of being constant, reliable, and unchanging over time. The link back to 'stand' and 'stead' is a useful reminder that the word keeps a single 'e' in the middle and ends in '-eady', not '-eddy'.

How the word is built

• stead (Old English stede: place, firm footing)
• -y (adjective suffix forming 'firmly placed')