Stagnant describes water or air that is not moving and often becomes dirty or smelly. It can also describe situations, businesses, or ideas that are not growing, changing, or improving.
From Latin “stagnans, stagnantis” (present participle of “stagnare”) meaning “to form a pool, be motionless,” from “stagnum” meaning “pool of standing water.” The key idea is standing still instead of flowing.
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