Stative
/ˈsteɪ.tɪv/noun
Expressing a state or condition rather than an action or process.
Did you know?“Stative” comes from Latin roots meaning “to stand,” so in linguistics it names verbs that describe a condition rather than an event—language built around being, not doing.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
status
“a standing, position, condition”
Late Latin
Latin
stativus
“standing, fixed, stationary”
17th Century
English
stative
“pertaining to a state or condition; later, in grammar, expressing a state”
Modern English
English
stative
“describing a verb or form that denotes a state rather than an action”