state-centered
|state-cent-ered|
🇺🇸
/ˈsteɪtˌsɛntərd/
🇬🇧
/ˈsteɪtˌsɛntəd/
state at the center
Etymology
'state-centered' originates from Modern English, specifically the compound of 'state' and 'centered', where 'state' ultimately derives from Latin 'status' (via Old French 'estat') meaning 'condition, position' and 'center' comes from Latin 'centrum' meaning 'middle'.
'state' changed from Old French 'estat' into Middle English 'state' (from Latin 'status'), while 'centered' developed from the past participle/adjective form of 'center' (from Latin 'centrum'); the compound 'state-centered' formed in modern English to describe arrangements that place the state at the center.
Initially, 'state' referred to a 'condition' or 'position' and 'center' referred to the 'middle'; over time the combined form came to mean 'placing the state at the center' (i.e., giving the state primary importance).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
giving central importance to the state; organized around or emphasizing state/government authority (often used in political or policy contexts).
A state-centered approach to economic planning places priority on government regulation and public investment.
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Adjective 2
pertaining to the state as the principal organizing or actor (e.g., a state-centered institution or theory).
State-centered theories of development argue that the national government is the key driver of modernization.
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Last updated: 2025/11/24 09:31