From Latin 'stabilire' (to make firm), from 'stare' (to stand) — literally 'to make something stand.' Related to 'stable.'
To set up on a firm or permanent basis; to found or institute; to achieve permanent acceptance for a custom, belief, or practice.
From Old French 'establir' (to set up, to make stable), from Latin 'stabilīre' (to make firm, to make stable), from 'stabilis' (firm, steadfast), from 'stāre' (to stand), from PIE *steh₂- (to stand). The Old French form underwent a common phonological change where Latin '-bil-' became '-bl-' and then '-bliss-/-blish' in English, the same pattern that produced 'abolish' from 'abolēre.' The word preserves the ancient metaphor
The First Amendment to the US Constitution states that 'Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.' This 'Establishment Clause' uses 'establish' in its oldest and most literal sense: to make something stand firm as an official, permanent institution. The verb was the natural choice because establishing something meant, from Latin onward, giving it the firmness to stand — exactly what the framers wanted