status

Definitions

From Latin status, 'a way of standing, a position,' the noun of stāre. Your status is the position you stand in — socially (high status), officially (legal status), or as a current reading (the status of a flight). It's the same picture each time: where you stand right now.

Why It Means This

status is one of the rare Latin nouns English borrowed whole, without anglicizing the ending — which is why it still ends in -us. The single core idea, 'a standing,' branches into three everyday senses: social standing (status symbol), legal standing (immigration status), and the live condition of a thing (order status, flight status). All three ask the same question: what position is it standing in right now?

Common Collocations

• 1.social status社会地位
• 2.marital status婚姻状况
• 3.status symbol身份象征
• 4.current status当前状态

Example Sentences

• 1.

  A luxury car is often seen as a status symbol.

• 2.

  Please check the status of my order.

• 3.

  She is applying for permanent resident status.

Easily Confused

status vs state — state is broader and more neutral (a state of confusion, the state of the economy). status leans on rank or official classification (social status, legal status) or a tracked live condition (order status). If it implies a position in a hierarchy or a formal label, use status.