Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “state” come from?

State derives from Latin status, the past participle of Latin sto, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European steh₂-, meaning to stand or be positioned.

state (English): A condition; a set of circumstances applying at...

Definitions

  1. A condition; a set of circumstances applying at...

Ancestry of “state”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchestatstate; government; condition
2Latinstātus—
3Latinstō—
4Proto-Italicstaēōstand
5Proto-Indo-Europeansth₂éh₁yeti—
6Proto-Indo-European*steh₂-—

Words derived from “state”

  • states
  • statement
  • stately
  • statesman
  • prostate
  • st
  • interstate
  • statewide
  • statehood
  • statesmanship
  • understatement
  • reinstate
  • reinstatement
  • misstatement
  • prostatic
  • stateroom
  • restatement
  • statecraft
  • upstate
  • overstate
  • restate
  • stateless
  • nonstate
  • prostatectomy
Every word from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- →