The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 6 letter word FRANCE
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
F
R
A
N
C
E
More clues leading to the result FRANCE
- … man engaged to earn right for current state
- Country-side supporter embraces church
- Country ragout fragrance
- Pseudonymous author and his state
- State of departments dictator cut, note
- Country girl without a hint of sophistication
- Country female has love affair, losing honour
- Friendly republic after Normans conquered England initially?
- Cafe noir exhausted — that’s drunk here
- Female organised church in the country
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "state" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case state = france.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.