# state

Pronunciation: say "STAYT" /steɪt/

## Noun

1. A self-governing region within a federation, such as those in the United States, Mexico, Nigeria, or India, that retains significant autonomy.
   - Simple: One of the smaller regions that make up a country like the United States, keeping some of its own power.
   - _The governor of each state sets policies that differ from federal rules._
   - _Nigeria is divided into thirty-six states, each with its own legislature._
2. A country or community organized under its own independent government, or that government itself.
   - Simple: A country with its own government, or the government that runs it.
   - _A modern state collects taxes to fund public services._
   - _Diplomats from several states gathered to negotiate the treaty._
4. The condition or set of circumstances something is in at a given time.
   - Simple: The condition something or someone is in at a certain time.
   - _The negotiators described the current state of the talks as fragile._
   - _Her emotional state improved once the stress at work eased._
6. Any of the distinct physical forms in which matter can exist, such as solid, liquid, gas, or plasma.
   - Simple: One of the forms that matter can take, like solid, liquid, or gas.
   - _When heated past its boiling point, water shifts to a gaseous state._
   - _Plasma is the fourth state of matter, common in stars._
7. A messy, disordered, or generally bad condition. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A messy or bad condition that something or someone is in.
   - _The garden was in such a state that we spent all weekend clearing it._
   - _He worked himself into a state over the looming deadline._
8. In science and computing, the full set of values or conditions that describe a system at a given moment.
   - Simple: In science or computing, all the facts about a system or program at one moment.
   - _Knowing the system's state allows physicists to predict its future behavior._
   - _Each state is defined by a set of measurable parameters._
9. Pomp, ceremony, or formal dignity, or a grand and splendid way of living that goes with wealth or high rank.
   - Simple: Grand ceremony and dignity, or a rich and splendid way of living.
   - _The president lay in state in the Capitol Rotunda for three days._
   - _The coronation was conducted with magnificent state._
10. Rank or condition, especially a person's standing or quality in society.
   - Simple: A person's rank, position, or condition in life.

## Verb

3. To make something known by saying or writing it.
   - Simple: To tell people something so they know it.
   - _The company stated its position on the merger publicly._
   - _Applicants must state their preferences on the form._

## Adjective

5. Funded, supplied, owned, or operated by the government, as with a state school, state pension, or state broadcaster.
   - Simple: Owned, run, or paid for by the government, like a state school or a state pension.
   - _Critics say the state broadcaster rarely reports on the protests._
   - _Without state funding, the small museum would have closed years ago._
16. Marked by full official ceremony and held by or for a head of state or government, as a visit, banquet, or funeral may be.
   - Simple: Very formal and special, done by or for the leader of a country, like a visit or funeral.
   - _The palace hosted a state banquet for the visiting prime minister._
   - _The former president will be given a state funeral in the capital next week._

## Noun

11. A form of government other than a monarchy; a republic or commonwealth. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A government or country that is not ruled by a king or queen.
13. A great person or dignitary, such as a lord or prince. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A great or powerful person, such as a lord or prince.
14. All the property, lands, and possessions belonging to a person; an estate. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Land, money, or goods that a person owns.
15. The highest and stationary point of something, such as the peak of maturity between growth and decline, or the crisis of a disease. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: The highest, steady point something reaches before it starts to fall, like the peak of an illness.

## Adjective

12. Grand, dignified, or majestic in appearance or manner; stately. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Grand and dignified in a way that shows importance.

## Other meanings

- (noun) The lexical aspect of a verb or predicate that describes an unchanging situation rather than an action or process.
- (noun) A canopied chair set on a raised platform as a seat of dignity; also, the canopy itself.

## Origin

From Middle English stat, adopted around 1200 from both Old French estat and Latin status ("manner of standing, position, condition, dress"), from stāre ("to stand"). It is a doublet of estate and status, and the "polity" sense developed in the 14th century, with the verb first attested near the start of the 16th century.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/state (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).