state

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   The condition that someone or something is in at a particular time.

   The house was in a terrible state after the party.

2. 2
   noun

   A country with its own government.

   The leaders of several states met to discuss trade.

3. 3
   noun

   One of the regions that together make up a country such as the USA.

   Texas is the second largest state in the country.

4. 4
   noun

   The government and its institutions.

   The railways are owned by the state.

5. 5
   noun

   One of the forms that matter takes, such as solid, liquid, or gas.

   Ice is the solid state of water.

Common collocations

• current state Adjective + noun
• emotional state Adjective + noun
• mental state Adjective + noun
• natural state Adjective + noun
• state a reason Verb + noun

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- Proto-Italic *status Latin statuslbor. Old French estatbor. Middle English stat English state From Middle English stat (as a noun); adopted c. 1200 from both Old French estat and Latin stātus (“manner of standing, attitude, position, carriage, manner, dress, apparel; and other senses”), from stāre (“to stand”). Doublet of estate and status. The sense of "polity" develops in the 14th century. Compare French être, Greek στέω (stéo), Italian stare, Portuguese estar, Romanian sta, and Spanish estar. The verb is first attested around the beginning of the 1…

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