stat

stat¹ state, polity

Pronunciation

• /stat/^[1]

Forms

stat n (plural state)^[1]

Etymology

The word for the state has several sources in the dictionaries: DEX 2009 says it is borrowed from Italian stato and Latin stātus, with some senses after French état;^[2] Wiktionary gives the Italian word or a learned loan from Latin.^[1] MDA2 and the DLR add German Status to Latin, French and Italian.^[3][4] Tiktin derives it from the New Latin status and compares the Italian word and German Staat.^[5] Gabinschi calls it a European loan of Latin origin.^[6]

The Latin word meant “standing, position, condition” and, in Late Latin, “form of government”.^[6][7] It is the noun of stō (“to stand”).^[8] The Italian word took the sense of a territory under a sovereign at the end of the 15th century, and Machiavelli helped spread it through Europe.^[9]

Earliest recorded meaning

Tiktin dates the political sense to 1694, in a passage about a council of state, sfat de stat.^[5] MDA2's and the DLR's first record is Dimitrie Cantemir's Istoria ieroglifică (1705): „tot statul monarhiii răzsipește” “it scatters the whole state of the monarchy”.^[3][4]

Semantic evolution

The old plural was staturi: Bălcescu wrote that the Romanians of old Dacia founded deosebite staturi mici “various small states”.^[5][4] The modern plural state replaced it.^[5] Costinescu's dictionary of 1870 has afacere de stat “affair of state” and lovire de stat “coup d'état”,^[10] Scriban om de stat “statesman” and lovitură de stat,^[11] and Statele Unite is the name of the United States.^[5]

Timeline

• 1694 – first record of the political sense, in sfat de stat “council of state”.^[5]
• 1705 – statul monarhiii in Cantemir's Istoria ieroglifică.^[3][4]
• 1829 – the plural staturi for the states of Europe in a periodical.^[4]
• 1870 – stat “government, country” in Costinescu, with afacere de stat “affair of state”.^[10]

Meanings

Noun

1. A state: the institution through which a community on a given territory is organised politically and administratively; the territory and people under it, a country;^[2][3][1] de stat “of the state, state-run”, om de stat “statesman”.^[2][3][1]
2. (in the plural, historical) The estates, the representative assemblies of some medieval countries.^[2]
3. stat-major “general staff”: the body of officers that directs troops, and its headquarters.^[2]

stat² list, table

Pronunciation

• /stat/^[1]

Forms

stat n (plural state)^[1]

Etymology

The word for a list or payroll is borrowed from Latin stātus with the senses of French état, according to DEX 2009, which compares Italian stato.^[2] Tiktin derives it from New Latin status and compares the French word and German Status.^[12] Scriban took the variant ⟨ștat⟩ from Russian штат (štat).^[11]

Earliest recorded meaning

Tiktin dates it to 1834, in the sense of a pay list for officials.^[12] The DLR quotes Stat de lefile slujbașilor tipografi “pay list of the printing-house staff” from 1850.^[4]

Semantic evolution

Costinescu's dictionary of 1870 gives stat and ștat as a list, register or inventory, with stat de cheltuieli “list of expenses”.^[10] The variant ștat was still used in the 20th century in state de personal “staff lists”.^[4]

Timeline

• 1834 – first record, a pay list for officials.^[12]
• 1850 – stat de lefi “pay list”.^[4]
• 1870 – stat and ștat “list, register” in Costinescu.^[10]

Meanings

Noun

1. A list or table;^[2][12] stat de plată “payroll”, stat de funcții “list of posts and salaries”.^[2][12]
2. stat personal “personnel file”: the record of an employee's posts and civil status.^[2]