Nation NATION, n. [to be born] 1. A body of people inhabiting the
same country, or united under the same sovereign or government; as the
English nation; the French nation. It often happens that many nations
are subject to one government; in which case, the word nation usually
denotes a body of people speaking the same language, or a body that has
formerly been under a distinct government, but has been conquered, or
incorporated with a larger nation. Thus the empire of Russia comprehends
many nations, as did formerly the Roman and Persian empires. Nation,
as its etymology imports, originally denoted a family or race of men
descended from a common progenitor, like tribe, but by emigration,
conquest and intermixture of men of different families, this distinction
is in most countries lost. 2. A great number, by way of emphasis.
nation
n 1: a politically organized body of people under a single
government; "the state has elected a new president";
"African nations"; "students who had come to the nation's
capitol"; "the country's largest manufacturer"; "an
industrialized land" [syn: state, nation, country,
land, commonwealth, res publica, body politic]
2: the people who live in a nation or country; "a statement that
sums up the nation's mood"; "the news was announced to the
nation"; "the whole country worshipped him" [syn: nation,
land, country]
3: United States prohibitionist who raided saloons and destroyed
bottles of liquor with a hatchet (1846-1911) [syn: Nation,
Carry Nation, Carry Amelia Moore Nation]
4: a federation of tribes (especially Native American tribes);
"the Shawnee nation"
nation
13c., from O.Fr. nacion, from L. nationem (nom. natio) "nation, stock,
race," also "that which has been born," from nasci "be born." Political
sense has gradually taken over from meaning "common ancestry." Nationalism
is first attested 1836 as "the doctrine of divine election of nations;"
1844 in meaning "devotion to one's nation;" earliest in an Irish context.
nation nounEtymology: Middle English nacioun, from Anglo-French
naciun, from Latin nation-, natio birth, race, nation, from
nasci to be born; akin to Latin gignere to beget — more at
kinDate: 14th century 1.a.(1)nationality 5a (2) a politically organized
nationality (3) a non-Jewish nationality <why do the
nations conspire — Psalms 2:1 (Revised Standard Version)>
b. a community of people composed of one or more nationalities
and possessing a more or less defined territory and government c. a
territorial division containing a body of people of one or more nationalities
and usually characterized by relatively large size and independent status
2.archaicgroup, aggregation3. a tribe or
federation of tribes (as of American Indians)
nation n. 1 a community of people of mainly common descent, history, language, etc., forming a State or inhabiting a territory. 2 a tribe or confederation of tribes of N. American
Indians. Phrases and idioms: law of nations Law international law. Derivatives: nationhood n. Etymology: ME f. OF f. L natio -onis f. nasci nat- be born
nation
(nations)Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English.
1. A nation is an individual country considered together with its social and political
structures.
Such policies would require unprecedented cooperation between nations...The Arab nations agreed to meet in Baghdad.N-COUNT
2. Thenation is sometimes used to refer to all the people who live in a particular
country. (JOURNALISM)
It was a story that touched the nation's heart.N-SING
nation
ˈneɪʃən n. 1 a community of people of mainly common descent,
history, language, etc., forming a State or inhabiting a territory. 2 a
tribe or confederation of tribes of N. American Indians. ølaw of nations Law
international law. øønationhood n. [ME f. OF f. L natio -onis f. nasci nat-
be born]
NATION
An abbreviation of damnation: a vulgar term used
in Kent, Sussex, and the adjacent counties, for very.
Nation good; very good. A nation long way; a very long
way.
Nation \Na"tion\, n. [F. nation, L. natio nation, race, orig., a
being born, fr. natus, p. p. of nasci, to be born, for
gnatus, gnasci, from the same root as E. kin. [root]44. See
Kin kindred, and cf. Cognate, Natal, Native.]
1. (Ethnol.) A part, or division, of the people of the earth,
distinguished from the rest by common descent, language,
or institutions; a race; a stock.
All nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues.
--Rev. vii. 9.
2. The body of inhabitants of a country, united under an
independent government of their own.
A nation is the unity of a people. --Coleridge.
Praise the power that hath made and preserved us a
nation. --F. S. Key.
3. Family; lineage. [Obs.] --Chaucer.
4.
(a) One of the divisions of university students in a
classification according to nativity, formerly common
in Europe.
(b) (Scotch Universities) One of the four divisions (named
from the parts of Scotland) in which students were
classified according to their nativity.
5. A great number; a great deal; -- by way of emphasis; as, a
nation of herbs. --Sterne.
Five nations. See under Five.
Law of nations. See International law, under
International, and Law.
Syn: people; race. See People.
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