different between serious vs stable

English

Etymology

From Middle English seryows, from Old French serieux, from Medieval Latin s?ri?sus, an extension of Latin s?rius (“grave, earnest, serious”), from Proto-Indo-European *swer- (“heavy”). Cognate with German schwer (“heavy, difficult, severe”), Old English sw?r (“heavy, grave, grievous”). More at swear, sweer.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /?s???.i.?s/, [?si??.i.?s]
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?s??.?i.?s/
• Rhymes: -???i?s
• Homophones: cereous, Sirius (one pronunciation)

Adjective

serious (comparative more serious or seriouser, superlative most serious or seriousest)

1. Without humor or expression of happiness; grave in manner or disposition

   It was a surprise to see the captain, who had always seemed so serious, laugh so heartily.

   Synonyms: earnest, solemn

2. Important; weighty; not insignificant

   This is a serious problem. We'll need our best experts.

3. Really intending what is said (or planned, etc); in earnest; not jocular or deceiving

   After all these years, we're finally getting serious attention.

   He says he wants to buy the team, but is he serious?

4. (of a relationship) Committed.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:serious

Antonyms

• (important, weighty): trifling, unimportant
• (intending what is said): jesting

Derived terms

• srs (abbreviation)
• dead serious
• seriously
• seriousness
• serious-minded
• serious-mindedly
• serious-mindedness

Translations

Adverb

serious (not comparable)

1. (colloquial, dialect) In a serious manner; seriously.

Further reading

• serious in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• serious in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

English

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?ste?.b??/
• Rhymes: -e?b?l

Etymology 1

From Middle English stable, borrowed from Anglo-Norman stable and Old French estable, from Latin stabulum (“stall, stand”).

Noun

stable (plural stables)

1. A building, wing or dependency set apart and adapted for lodging and feeding (and training) animals with hoofs, especially horses.
2. (metonymically) All the racehorses of a particular stable, i.e. belonging to a given owner.
3. (Scotland) A set of advocates; a barristers' chambers.
4. (sumo) An organization of sumo wrestlers who live and train together.

   Synonym: heya

5. A group of prostitutes managed by one pimp.

   Synonym: string

   • 2013, Noble Dee, Pimp: Reflection of My Life (page 167)

     My pimp vision enabled me to see that no hoe in my stable would be more worthy of the game than my young turnout red-bones.

Derived terms

• stablemate

Translations

Verb

stable (third-person singular simple present stables, present participle stabling, simple past and past participle stabled)

1. (transitive) to put or keep (an animal) in a stable.
   • 1954, C. S. Lewis, The Horse and His Boy, Collins, 1998, Chapter 7,

     "I hope your have been quite comfortable." ¶ "Never better stabled in my life," said Bree.

2. (intransitive) to dwell in a stable.
3. (rail transport, transitive) to park (a rail vehicle).

Derived terms

• (rail transport): outstable

Related terms

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English stable, from Anglo-Norman stable, stabel, from Latin stabilis (“firm, steadfast”) (itself from stare (“stand”) + -abilis (“able”)).

Adjective

stable (comparative stabler or more stable, superlative stablest or most stable)

1. Relatively unchanging, steady, permanent; firmly fixed or established; consistent; not easily moved, altered, or destroyed.
   • a. 1729, John Rogers, The Greatness of the Gospel Salvation

     In this region of chance, […] where nothing ws stable.

2. (computing) Of software: established to be relatively free of bugs, as opposed to a beta version.

3. (computer science, of a sorting algorithm) That maintains the relative order of items that compare as equal.

Synonyms

• (relatively unchanging): fixed, unvarying; see also Thesaurus:steady

Antonyms

• instable
• mobile
• unstable
• varying

Derived terms

• bistable
• instable
• tristable
• unistable
• unstable

Translations

Anagrams

• Bestla, ablest, ablets, bastle, belast, blates, bleats, tables

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin stabilis. Replaced Middle French, Old French estable, an earlier borrowing from the same Latin source.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /stabl/

Adjective

stable (plural stables)

1. stable (relatively unchanging)

Antonyms

• instable

Related terms

• stabiliser
• stabilité

Further reading

• “stable” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Anagrams

• baltes, tables

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Anglo-Norman stable, from Vulgar Latin *stabula, probably a collective plural of Latin stabulum (“dwelling; stable”).

Noun

stable (plural stables or stablen)

1. stable (building for horses)

Alternative forms

• stabel, stabele, stabil, stabille, stabul, stabulle

Descendants

• English: stable
• Scots: stable
• ? Middle Irish: stábla
  • Irish: stábla
  • Scottish Gaelic: stàball

References

• “st?ble, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Etymology 2

From Anglo-Norman stable, stabel, from Latin stabilis (“firm, steadfast”).

Adjective

stable (comparative stabler or stablere or stablour)

1. stable (relatively unchanging)

Alternative forms

• stabel, stabele, stabil, stabul

Descendants

• English: stable
• Scots: stable

References

• “st?ble, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Etymology 3

Noun

stable (plural stables)

1. Alternative form of stablie

Etymology 4

Noun

stable (plural stables)

1. Alternative form of stapel

Etymology 5

Verb

stable (third-person singular simple present stableth, present participle stablynge, first-/third-person singular past indicative and past participle stabled)

1. Alternative form of stablen (“to establish”)

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From the noun stabel

Verb

stable (imperative stabl or stable, present tense stabler, passive stables, simple past and past participle stabla or stablet, present participle stablende)

1. to stack, pile

References

• “stable” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• “stable” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From the noun stabel

Verb

stable (present tense stablar, past tense stabla, past participle stabla, passive infinitive stablast, present participle stablande, imperative stabl)

1. to stack, pile

Alternative forms

• stabla

References

• “stable” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.