different between constancy vs stability

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin constantia.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /?k?nst?nsi/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?k?nst?nsi/
• Hyphenation: con?stan?cy

Noun

constancy (usually uncountable, plural constancies)

1. (uncountable) The quality of being constant; steadiness or faithfulness in action, affections, purpose, etc.
   • c. 1605, William Shakespeare, Macbeth, Act II, Scene 2, [1]

     A little water clears us of this deed: / How easy is it, then! Your constancy / Hath left you unattended.

   • 1871, Charles Darwin, Descent of Man, chapter 7 "On the Races of Man,"

     Constancy of character is what is chiefly valued and sought for by naturalists.
2. (countable) An unchanging quality or characteristic of a person or thing.
   • 1602, William Shakespeare, All's Well That Ends Well, Act 1, scene ii:

     younger spirits . . .

     whose constancies

     Expire before their fashions.

Related terms

• constant
• constantly

Translations

References

• Webster, Noah (1828) , “constancy”, in An American Dictionary of the English Language
• constancy in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• “constancy” in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
• Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., 1989.
• Random House Webster's Unabridged Electronic Dictionary, 1987-1996.

English

Etymology

From Middle English, borrowed from Old French stabilité, from Latin root of stabilitas (“firmness, steadfastness”), from stabilis (“steadfast, firm”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /st??b?l?ti/
• Rhymes: -?l?ti

Noun

stability (countable and uncountable, plural stabilities)

1. The condition of being stable or in equilibrium, and thus resistant to change.

   Antonym: instability

2. The tendency to recover from perturbations.

Translations