noun / adjective
state
A territory organized under a government.
Each state has its own governor and elected legislature.
Etymology
The Latin source concerns a standing condition or position. Political usage developed from the condition and organization of public affairs to the governed territory itself.
More examples
- State law requires drivers to carry insurance.
- The treaty recognizes the island as an independent state.
- The state provides lawyers for defendants who cannot afford them.
- The former president lies in state at the Capitol.
Forms
state · states
statehood noun — The status of being a political state.
Similar words
- province
- A division within a country, not an independent nation.
- country
- Usually an independent nation, not a regional political division.
- government
- The governing authorities or institutions, rather than the territory itself.