means A building where horses or other livestock are kept and fed, or — as an adjective — the quality of being steady, firmly fixed, and unlikely to topple or change.

from From Latin 'stabulum,' a standing-place or stall, which traces back to 'stare,' to stand — the same root that props up 'stand,' 'stable' (the steady kind), and 'establish.' A stable, then, is quite literally where things stand still: the noun for the horse-house and the adjective for steadiness are siblings, both descended from that ancient idea of staying put.