stable

Everyday

1. Stable means steady and firm, not likely to move, wobble, fall or change. tree →
2. A stable is a building where horses are kept and fed. tree →
3. A person or a situation that is stable is calm and not changing much, like a patient in a stable condition. tree →

In the lessons

In science and technology, a stable structure has a wide base and does not tip over; pupils build stable towers. In stories, horses sleep in the stable, and the Christmas story mentions a stable. In news and health, «stable condition» means a sick person is not getting worse. Phrases: «stable base», «riding stables».

Examples

• A wide base makes the tower more stable. tree →
• The ladder must be stable before you climb it. tree →
• The horses are in the stable for the night. tree →
• We went to the riding stables for a lesson. tree →
• The patient is now in a stable condition. tree →
• The weather will stay stable all week. tree →
• Triangles make bridges strong and stable. tree →
• Black, fiery horses, neighed in the stables. tree →

Note

As an adjective it means steady; as a noun, a horse building. Opposite adjective: «unstable». Verb: «stabilise» (UK) / «stabilize» (US). In science, a low centre of gravity and wide base make things more stable.

In Jewish tradition

In Sefer Yetzirah it is the name of the Twenty-third Path, the "Stable Intelligence," meaning firm and steady, not a building for horses.

Interpretation. In the Kabbalistic scheme of thirty-two paths, this one is said to keep all the numerations in steady balance. It shows that stability comes from keeping opposites balanced.

Examples

• The Twenty-third Path is the Stable Intelligence, (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893) tree →
• The Twenty-third Path is the Stable Intelligence, and it is so called because it has the virtue of consistency among all numerations. (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1887) tree →
• The Siphra Dtzeniouta, or Book of Concealed Mystery, translated by Mac Gregor Mathers, in his " Kabalah Denudata," opens with a reference to this Equilibrium as a fundamental neces- sity of stable existence. (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893) tree →

Note

As an adjective it means steady; as a noun, a horse building. Opposite adjective: «unstable». Verb: «stabilise» (UK) / «stabilize» (US). In science, a low centre of gravity and wide base make things more stable.