What does the "State" mean in "The State Department"?

[Spoon]

"State" of affairs?
My, you are "stately"

It can't have anything to do with the 50 states, as they mainly deal in foreign affairs.

[Burma Jones]

1. It's the Department of State

As in Statecraft

Statesman

Affairs of State

[Spoon]

2. So the country is a state, in a way.

I see...

My dumb question of the day is resolved!

[HawkerHurricane]

3. There are no dumb questions

only dumb answers.

Like this one...

Old Style English refered to countries as 'States'. The words "United States" implied that each state was its own country.

[Raven]

4. The "State of Confusion"?

of "Disarray" of "Denial"? :-)

[TrogL]

5. In a broader sense

it's the "state" vs the "populace".

Read Plato's "The Republic"

[Kellanved]

6. AFAIK it was originally "Department of Foreign Affairs"

But because there were few other departments, it got assigned many domestic responsibilities, resulting in a department with more domestic than foreign duties.
That led to a new name, which persisted while the duties went to new departments.

Take it with a grain of salt, I'm not 100% positive about it.