stationary

Stationary — Sta tion*a*ry ( [asl]*r[y^]), a. [L. stationarius: cf. F. stationnaire. Cf. {Stationer}.] 1. Not moving; not appearing to move; stable; fixed. [1913 Webster] Charles Wesley, who is a more stationary man, does not believe the story. Southey. [1913 …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

Stationary — can mean: In statistics and probability: a stationary process. In mathematics: a stationary point. In mathematics: a stationary set. In physics: a time invariant quantity, such as a constant position or temperature. In physics: a steady state… …   Wikipedia

stationary — stationary, stationery Stationary is an adjective and means ‘not moving’ whereas stationery is a noun and denotes paper and writing materials. Both words are derived from the Latin word stare ‘to stand’. The relevance of this to stationary is… …   Modern English usage

stationary — ► ADJECTIVE 1) not moving. 2) not changing in quantity or condition. USAGE Take care to distinguish between stationary and stationery: stationary is an adjective meaning ‘not moving or changing’, whereas stationery is a noun meaning ‘paper and… …   English terms dictionary

Stationary — Sta tion*a*ry, n.; pl. { ries} ( r[i^]z). One who, or that which, is stationary, as a planet when apparently it has neither progressive nor retrograde motion. Holland. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

stationary — [stā′shə ner΄ē] adj. [ME stacionarye < L stationarius < statio: see STATION] 1. not moving or not movable; fixed or still 2. unchanging in condition, value, etc.; not increasing or decreasing 3. not migratory or itinerant n. pl.… …   English World dictionary

stationary — index firm, permanent, stable, stagnant, standing, static, steadfast Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton …   Law dictionary

stationary — late 14c., in relation to planetary motions, from L. stationarius, in classical Latin, of a military station, from statio (see STATION (Cf. station)) …   Etymology dictionary

stationary — [adj] not moving; fixed anchored, at a standstill, immobile, inert, moored, motionless, nailed*, nailed down*, parked*, pat*, permanent, stable, stagnant, standing, static, stock still, unmoving; concepts 488,551 Ant. mobile, moving, restless,… …   New thesaurus

stationary — adj. 1 remaining in one place, not moving (hit a stationary car). 2 not meant to be moved; not portable (stationary troops; stationary engine). 3 not changing in magnitude, number, quality, efficiency, etc. (stationary temperature). 4 (of a… …   Useful english dictionary

stationary — [[t]ste͟ɪʃənri, AM neri[/t]] ADJ: usu ADJ n Something that is stationary is not moving. Stationary cars in traffic jams cause a great deal of pollution... The train was stationary for 90 minutes …   English dictionary