Past tense of 'stabilize': to make something steady, secure, or not likely to change or fall over.
From Latin 'stabilis' (steady, firm) via Old French 'estable'. The verb 'stabilize' was formed in the 19th century with the suffix '-ize' to mean 'to make stable'.
Stabilization is why bridges use special dampers that absorb wind and earthquakes—the 2011 Christchurch earthquake taught engineers that feeling stable and being stable are totally different things!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.