nation

English Online Dictionary. What means nation‎? What does nation mean?

English

Pronunciation

• enPR: nā'shən, IPA^(key): /ˈneɪʃən/
• Rhymes: -eɪʃən

Etymology 1

From Middle English nacioun, nacion, from Old French nacion, from Latin nātiōnem, accusative of nātiō (“nation”). Displaced native Old English þēod.

Noun

nation (plural nations)

2. (collective) A historically constituted, stable community of people, formed based on a common language, territory, economic life, ethnicity and/or psychological make-up manifested in a common culture.

   Coordinate term: (sometimes synonymous) people

   1. (by extension, informal, often humorous) A community united by some trait (especially an interest) but not historically constituted.
3. (international law, metonymic) A sovereign state; (loosely, metonymic, proscribed) a country.
4. (chiefly historical) An association of students based on the birthplace or ethnicity of its members.

   Synonym: student nation

5. (obsolete) A great number; a great deal.
6. In North America, an Indigenous people and their federally recognized territory.

Usage notes

• (British) Following the establishment of the Scottish and Welsh parliaments, England, Scotland and Wales are normally considered distinct nations. Application of the term nation to the United Kingdom as a whole is deprecated in most style guides, including the BBC, most newspapers and in UK Government publications. Northern Ireland, being of less clear legal status, generally remains a province.

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

See also

Etymology 2

Short for damnation or tarnation.

Alternative forms

• 'nation

Noun

nation

1. (rare) Damnation. (Can we add an example for this sense?)

Adverb

nation

1. (rare, dialectal) Extremely, very.

References

• “Notable and Quotable”, in Merriam Webster Online Newsletter‎^[4], 2005 November, archived from the original on 14 March 2006.

Anagrams

• Tonian, anoint

Danish

Etymology

From Latin nātiō (“birth, people”), derived from the verb nāscor (“to be born”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [naˈɕoˀn]

Noun

nation c (singular definite nationen, plural indefinite nationer)

1. a nation, a people with a common identity, united in history, culture or language
2. a nation, a country that is a politically independent unity

Declension

References

• “nation” in Den Danske Ordbog

French

Etymology

Inherited from Middle French nation, from Old French nacion, borrowed from Latin nātiōnem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /na.sjɔ̃/
• Rhymes: -ɔ̃

Noun

nation f (plural nations)

1. nation

Derived terms

Descendants

• Haitian Creole: nasyon
• → Piedmontese: nassion

References

• “nation”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

• tonnai

Middle French

Etymology

From Old French nacion.

Noun

nation f (plural nations)

1. nation

Descendants

• French: nation
  • Haitian Creole: nasyon
  • → Piedmontese: nassion

Middle English

Noun

nation

1. (Parliamentary Rolls) alternative form of nacioun

Swedish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /natˈɧuːn/

Noun

nation c

1. a nation, a country, a state
2. a nation, a people

3. a union or fraternity of students from the same province

Declension

Related terms

References

• nation in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• nation in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• nation in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)