What's the difference between status and status quo? My dictionary tells:
Status could mean 'the situation at a particular time during a
process'Status quo could mean 'the situation as it is now'
It seems that there could be some overlaps in usage because 'a particular time' could be 'now'.
If I understand correctly, will "maintain the status quo" == "maintain the current status"?
Best Answer
Yes
You understand that correctly, but you need to be clear about the context. Otherwise, you need to tack on some more at the end: "the current status of... [that thing we were talking about]".
'Status' is precisely the past participle of the Latin word for "stand". It is how things stand and thus the way things are, what's going on, &c. It's mostly fully accepted as an English word, but needs qualification to make sense. It's really how things stand with regard to...
Your "socioeconomic status" is how you stand w/r/t society; your "legal status" is you stand w/r/t the law; your "relationship status" is how you stand w/r/t romantic availability, whether single, partnered, or complicated; your "order status" tells you how things stand w/r/t a delivery; a "status report" tells you how things stand w/r/t your ship, platoon, &c. If there's no qualification, it usually means that the qualifier should be understood from context.
['Status' also has some mostly obsolete senses where it means "height", "high point", "worst bit of a disease", or "annuity conditions".]
'Status quo' (lit. "in which state") is a post-classical Latin extrapolation from in statu quo ante/prius or nunc ("in the same state as before" or "now"). It refers to how things stand, generally, and is especially used for (a) talking about society or situations (b) as they change to a new state or get restored after such a change.
It can be a formal diplomatic term. A peace status quo ante bellum restores things to the way they were before the war began.
More often, 'status quo' shows up in political debate. Whatever "the status quo" may happen to be, it's usually contrasted with some better state of affairs that fixes some of its problems. Progressives aim to "disrupt the status quo" in the name of improving it; they consider that conservatives generally aim to "defend", "maintain", or "preserve the status quo" in the interest of various established privileges it includes. This somewhat negative use means conservatives more often frame themselves as "having common sense" or "upholding traditions", rather than using the term themselves.
People who intentionally or accidentally filled up their vocab with Latin sometimes use it in other contexts, but it's a bit clinical (even obnoxious) to describe relationships or office power struggles using it.