status quo

(kwō)
n.
The existing condition or state of affairs.

[Latin status quō, state in which : status, state + quō, in which, ablative of quī, which.]

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The existing condition or state of affairs, as in We don't want to admit more singers to the chorus; we like the status quo. This term, Latin for "state in which," has been used in English since the early 1800s.

This entry contains information applicable to United States law only.

[Latin, The existing state of things at any given date.] Status quo ante bellum means the state of things before the war. The status quo to be preserved by a preliminary injunction is the last actual, peaceable, uncontested status which preceded the pending con- troversy.

the situation in which [it was before]

Quotes:

"The order of the world is always right -- such is the judgment of God. For God has departed, but he has left his judgment behind, the way the Cheshire Cat left his grin." - Jean Baudrillard

"The status quo is the only solution that cannot be vetoed." - Clark Kerr

"Status quo, you know, that is Latin for the mess we're in." - Ronald Reagan

For a list of words related to status quo, see:

• Social Structure and Conditions - status quo: existing state of affairs
• Latin Words and Phrases - status quo: conditions as they are now

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See words rhyming with "status quo."