A state of stress is a linear map
A state of stress in a body. Components of stress. Subject to a load, a body develops internal forces. The distribution of the internal forces in the body is usually inhomogeneous. For example, when a rod is bent, part of the rod is in tension, and the other part of the rod is in compression.
If the internal forces are uniformly distributed in the body, the body is said to be in a homogeneous state of stress. For brevity, we often say a state of stress, or just stress.