Inconstant
/ɪnˈkɒnstənt/noun
Not staying the same; changeable or unreliable.
Did you know?Its roots go back to the same Latin base as “constant,” which originally meant “standing together” or “standing firm,” so “inconstant” is basically the ancient idea of spiritual wobble made into a word.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sta-
“to stand, make or be firm”
Latin
Latin
constāns
“standing together, firm, steadfast”
Latin
Latin
inconstāns
“not firm, unsteady, changeable”
Old French
Old French
inconstant
“unsteady, fickle”
14th Century
English
inconstant
“unsteady, variable, not faithful”
Modern English
English
inconstant
“not staying the same; changeable or unreliable”