English

state

/steɪt/
A condition; a set of circumstances applying at any given time.

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    Origin

    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 16th century. Related to English stand. Displaced native Old English hād (“state, condition”).

    From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

    Lineage

    • inheritedMiddle Englishstat
      • borrowedOld Frenchestat
        • learned borrowingLatinstatus “standing, state, status”
        • derivedLatinstatus “standing, state, status”
    • rootProto-Indo-European*steh₂- “to stand, stay”

    Related: English stand, English status (doublet), English estate (doublet), French être, Greek στέω, Italian stare, Portuguese estar, Romanian sta, Spanish estar

    Words built on it: in-state, free state, city state, state line, state-run, police state

    Sources