"noble, splendid," late 14c., from -ly (1) + state (n.1) in a sense of "costly and imposing display" (such as benefits a person of rank and wealth), attested from early 14c. This sense also is preserved in the phrase lie in state "be ceremoniously exposed to view before interment" (1705). Hence also stateroom. Related: Stateliness.
state
statecraft
statehood
state-house
stateless
stately
statement
state-of-the-art
stater
stateroom
stateside
