State

How to spell state

5 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce state

What does state mean?

1. nounThe particular condition that someone or something is in at a given time.
2. nounAn organised political community under one government, or a self-governing region within a country.
3. verbTo express or declare something clearly and definitely, in speech or writing.

State in a sentence

• noun

  The kitchen was left in a terrible state after the party.

• noun

  The state provides free schooling to every child.

• verb

  Please state your full name on the application form.

• noun

  Her mental state improved once she started sleeping properly.

• noun

  Taxes fund services run by the state.

• verb

  The contract must clearly state the agreed price.

Where does state come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word descends from the Latin status, meaning 'condition, position, or standing', which was itself formed from the verb stare, meaning 'to stand'. The idea behind it is simple and physical: the way something stands is the condition it is in. Latin status passed into Old French as estat (the source of modern French etat and English 'estate'), and Middle English borrowed it during the 1200s and 1300s, dropping the initial e to give 'state'. From the basic sense of 'condition' the word branched into the political meaning of an organised body politic or commonwealth by the 1500s, since a nation has a particular standing or constitution. The same stare root stands behind a large family of English words including 'station', 'statue', 'stable', and 'status' itself, all carrying the idea of standing or standing firm.

How the word is built

• stat- (from Latin stare: to stand)
• -e