States

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /steɪts/

Definitions

1. Geographical territories ruled by governmental entities Officially declared situations or circumstances that have legal recognition Manifestations of distinct mental or emotional conditions that can be observed
2. Areas governed by their own political authorities ; situations that are formally accepted or declared ; particular mental or emotional conditions experienced by individuals
3. Distinct territorial units controlled by governments ; conditions acknowledged by law or authority ; specific emotional or psychological states people undergo

Etymology: The English noun "state" began as a near-twin of "status," and both come from the Latin verb "stare," meaning "to stand." Latin "status" meant a manner of standing, a posture or bearing, and it was the Old French "estat" that brought the word into English around 1200 as "stat." Its senses then widened from posture and condition to a person's social rank and finally to a political community, with the "polity" meaning developing in the 14th century. The "estate" you may know from property and social rank is the same word arriving by the French route. The verb is much later, first attested around the start of the 16th century, so the sense of declaring something in words came after the noun had already spent centuries meaning a condition or a realm. "Stand" in modern English is a relative, sharing the same ancient root.

Synonyms: conditions, situations, circumstances, phases, positions

Antonyms: chaos, disorder, instability, confusion, uncertainty