ministate

Or min·i-state

[min-ee-steyt]

noun

1. a small, independent nation.

Word History and Origins

Origin of ministate¹

First recorded in 1965–70; mini- + state

Example Sentences

They wanted to turn Rongelap — an atoll in the Marshall Islands totaling eight square miles of land and 79 people — into a tax-free ministate with its own legal system that, they claimed, would be able to issue passports enabling visa-free travel to the United States.

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Western powers should learn from the example of Bosnia’s Serb-run ministate Republica Srpska, fearing the creation of a ministate in Kosovo, he said, adding that Belgrade used the creation of the association “as a weapon against our independence.”

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Pristina has been reluctant to accept the creation of the ASM, fearing that it could lead to the creation of a ministate — like Republika Srpska in multi-ethnic Bosnia-Herzegovina.

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The blast aside, detractors say that Hezbollah is more responsible than the company of five for eroding the state’s authority, because it has established a powerful ministate within the state, backed by its weapons.

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Among younger Palestinians, the discourse has changed from discussion of possible borders of a putative Palestinian ministate bordering Israel, which few now believe will come about, to a broad and loose agenda for the pursuit of rights, freedom and justice inside both the occupied territories and Israel itself.

Read more on New York Times