Dakota du Nord, par exemple (4)

I believe the answer is:

etat

'dakota du nord par exemple' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)

This is all the clue.

(Another definition for etat that I've seen is " Rank".)

I've seen this clue in The Wall Street Journal.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.