# Where does STAT come from?

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-stat-come-from/335082
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [December 11, 2005, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-stat-come-from/335082 "2005-12-11T00:30:38Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![ombre3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/da6949/32.png) [@ombre3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ombre3)
#### Post date: [December 11, 2005, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-stat-come-from/335082/1 "2005-12-11T00:30:38Z")

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I think it means to do something quickly and I have heard it on medical shows for the most part. Kind of like ASAP-----which is pretty obvious.

So what does STAT mean exactly? And what do the initials stand for?

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### Author: ![KeithT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@KeithT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KeithT)
#### Post date: [December 11, 2005, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-stat-come-from/335082/2 "2005-12-11T00:34:00Z")

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It’s an abbreviation of _statim_, which is Latin for immediately.

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### Author: ![Nic2004](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/4491bb/32.png) [@Nic2004](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nic2004)
#### Post date: [December 11, 2005, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-stat-come-from/335082/3 "2005-12-11T00:39:39Z")

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The Master [speaks](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mstat.html)

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### Author: ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)
#### Post date: [December 11, 2005, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-stat-come-from/335082/4 "2005-12-11T00:58:27Z")

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> [@Nic2004](#):
>
> The Master [speaks](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mstat.html)

When did SDSABer Terey get promoted?

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### Author: ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)
#### Post date: [December 11, 2005, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-stat-come-from/335082/5 "2005-12-11T01:15:16Z")

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> [@adam yax](#):
>
> When did SDSABer Terey get promoted?

Terey was a member of the SDSAB in 1999, at least.

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### Author: ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)
#### Post date: [December 11, 2005, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-stat-come-from/335082/6 "2005-12-11T16:04:34Z")

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> [@adam yax](#):
>
> When did SDSABer Terey get promoted?

I think a lot of people forget to check whether Cecil actually wrote the column they’re linking to. I know I’ve dubbed a few Staff Reports as “The Master speaks…” etc.

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### Author: ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)
#### Post date: [December 11, 2005, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-stat-come-from/335082/7 "2005-12-11T17:00:36Z")

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The first use of the word in the Oxford English Dictionary shows up in an 1875 cite which dealt with prescriptions. Meaning to take something immediately.

So the Latin would dovetail nicely with the language of prescriptions. Just when doctors started using it to mean immediately isn’t clear.