The Spanish word 'estadía' meaning 'stay' or 'sojourn' has its roots in the Latin verb 'stare' meaning 'to stand'. This Latin verb evolved into the Spanish verb 'estar' ('to be' or 'to stay'), which then gave rise to the noun 'estada' ('stay'). The word 'estadía' was formed by combining 'estada' with the Spanish noun suffix '-ía', creating a synonym for 'stay' or 'sojourn'.

Several common Spanish words share this same Latin root, making them helpful for remembering 'estadía'. The most fundamental is the verb 'estar', one of the two main verbs meaning 'to be' in Spanish, which is used to express temporary states or locations. Other related words include 'estado' (state), 'estancia' (stay, residence), and 'estación' (station, season).

English speakers can connect 'estadía' to several English words that come from the same Latin root 'stare'. These include 'state', 'station', 'stay', 'stable', and 'establish'. All these words carry some notion of standing, remaining, or being in a place, which connects to the meaning of 'estadía' as a stay or sojourn.