ˌhōmēōˈstāsə̇s, ˌhäm-, -ˈstasəs; -mēˈästəsə̇s noun
( -es )
Etymology: New Latin, from home- + -stasis
1. : a tendency toward maintenance of a relatively stable internal environment in the bodies of higher animals through a series of interacting physiological processes (as the maintenance of a fairly constant degree of body heat in the face of widely varying external temperatures)
2. : a tendency toward maintenance of a relatively stable psychological condition of the individual with respect to contending drives, motivations, and other psychodynamic forces
3. : a tendency toward maintenance of relatively stable social conditions among groups with respect to various factors (as food supply and population among animals) and to competing tendencies and powers within the body politic, to society, or to culture among men