stabile

[stey-bil, -buhl, -bahyl, stey-beel, -bahyl]

adjective

1. fixed in position; stable.

2. Medicine/Medical.,  resistant to physical or chemical changes.

noun

1. a piece of abstract sculpture having immobile units constructed of sheet metal, wire, or other material and attached to fixed supports.

stabile

/ ˈsteɪbaɪl /

noun

1. arts a stationary abstract construction, usually of wire, metal, wood, etc Compare mobile

adjective

1. fixed; stable

2. resistant to chemical change

Other Word Forms

• nonstabile adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of stabile¹

1790–1800; < Latin: neuter of stabilis, equivalent to sta- (stem of stāre to stand ) + -bilis -ble

Word History and Origins

Origin of stabile¹

C18: from Latin stabilis

Example Sentences

His brightly colored twisting mobiles and gracefully hulking stabiles made him a titan of 20th-century art, often imitated but never equaled.

From New York Times

His design included a stabile — a stationary work for the floor — and, suspended from the ceiling, one of his signature mobiles, its gentle rotation powered by a motor.

From Washington Post

“Nonspace” includes both mobiles — the term coined in 1931 by Marcel Duchamp to describe Calder’s kinetic sculptures that move in response to air currents and gravity — as well as their static cousins, stabiles.

From Los Angeles Times

The award itself, the “Ellie,” is modeled on the “Elephant” stabile sculpture, designed by acclaimed American artist Alexander Calder.

From National Geographic

Jon Kessler, usually Mr. Mechanical, has three new pieces that are essentially airy stabiles dangling sweet found objects, as if they were collaborations by Calder and Dalí.

From New York Times

Related Words

• balanced 
• calm 
• durable 
• fast 
• lasting 
• permanent 
• reliable 
• safe 
• secure 
• solid 
• steady 
• strong 
• substantial