astatic

[ey-stat-ik] Origin

a·stat·ic

[ey-stat-ik]
adjective
1.
unstable; unsteady.
2.
Physics. having no tendency to take a definite position or direction.

Origin:
1820–30; < Greek ástat(os) not steadfast, unstable (a- a-6 + statós standing) + -ic; see static

a·stat·i·cal·ly, adverb
a·stat·i·cism [ey-stat-uh-siz-uhm] , noun
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Astatic is always a great word to know.
So is wave. Does it mean:
the smallest component of an element having the chemical properties of the element; the number of protons determines the identity of the element
a progressive disturbance propagated in a medium without progress or advance by the points themselves, as in the transmission of sound or light
Collins
World English Dictionary
astatic (æˈstætɪk, eɪ-)
 
adj
1.  not static; unstable
2.  physics
 a.  having no tendency to assume any particular position or orientation
 b.  (of a galvanometer) having two mutually compensating magnets arranged so that the instrument is independent of the earth's magnetic field
 
[C19: from Greek astatos unsteady; see a-1, static]
 
a'statically
 
adv
 
a'staticism
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

astatic
from Gk. astatos "unstable, not steadfast," from a-, privative prefix, + statos "placed, standing," from PIE base *sta- (see stet).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

astatic a·stat·ic (ə-stāt'ĭk)
adj.

  1. Relating to astasia.

  2. Unsteady; unstable.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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