nation


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na·tion

 (nā′shən)
n.
1.
a. A relatively large group of people organized under a single, usually independent government; a country.
b. The territory occupied by such a group of people: All across the nation, people are voting their representatives out.
2. The government of a sovereign state.
3. A people who share common customs, origins, history, and frequently language; a nationality: "Historically the Ukrainians are an ancient nation which has persisted and survived through terrible calamity" (Robert Conquest).
4.
a. A federation or tribe, especially one composed of Native Americans.
b. The territory occupied by such a federation or tribe.

[Middle English nacioun, from Old French nation, from Latin nātiō, nātiōn-, from nātus, past participle of nāscī, to be born; see genə- in Indo-European roots.]

na′tion·hood′ n.
na′tion·less adj.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

nation

(ˈneɪʃən)
n
1. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) an aggregation of people or peoples of one or more cultures, races, etc, organized into a single state: the Australian nation.
2. (Sociology) a community of persons not constituting a state but bound by common descent, language, history, etc: the French-Canadian nation.
3. (Sociology)
a. a federation of tribes, esp American Indians
b. the territory occupied by such a federation
[C13: via Old French from Latin nātiō birth, tribe, from nascī to be born]
ˈnationˌhood n
ˈnationless adj
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

na•tion

(ˈneɪ ʃən)

n.
1. a body of people, associated with a particular territory, that is sufficiently conscious of its unity to seek or to possess a government peculiarly its own.
2. the territory or country itself.
3.
a. an American Indian people or tribe.
b. a member tribe of an American Indian confederation.
4. a people having the same ethnic ancestry, history, and culture, often speaking the same language.
[1250–1300; Middle English < Latin nātiō birth, people, nation]
na′tion•hood`, n.
na′tion•less, adj.

Na•tion

(ˈneɪ ʃən)

n.
Carry or Carrie (Amelia Moore), 1846–1911, U.S. temperance leader.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
country, nation - Both came into English c. 1330 and tend to be used interchangeably.  Country comes from Latin contrata (terra), "the landscape in front of one, the landscape lying opposite to the view." Nation is from Latin nation-/natio, "race, class of person."
See also related terms for country.

nation

, country - A nation is made up of states—and a country is a nation defined geographically.
See also related terms for states.
Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.

Nation

 inhabitants of a country; a community of men or animals; the people of the earth, collectively, 1667. See also people, race.
Examples: nation of field and wood, 1733; of hedges and copses, 1726; of herbs, 1768; of sea, 1697; of unfortunate birds, 1590.
Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

nation

You use nation to refer to a country, together with its social and political structures.

These policies require cooperation between the world's industrialized nations.

You can also use nation to mean the people who live in a country.

He asked the nation to be patient.

Nation can also to refer to a group of people who are part of the same linguistic or historical group, even if they are not politically independent.

We studied the traditions and culture of the Great Sioux Nation.

Be Careful!
Don't use 'nation' simply to refer to a place. Don't say, for example, 'What nation do you come from?' When you are referring to a place, use country, not 'nation'.

There are over a hundred edible species growing in this country.
Have you any plans to leave the country in the next few days?
Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.nation - a politically organized body of people under a single governmentnation - 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"
commonwealth country - any of the countries in the British Commonwealth
developing country - a country that is poor and whose citizens are mostly agricultural workers but that wants to become more advanced socially and economically
Dominion - one of the self-governing nations in the British Commonwealth
estate of the realm, the three estates, estate - a major social class or order of persons regarded collectively as part of the body politic of the country (especially in the United Kingdom) and formerly possessing distinct political rights
foreign country - any state of which one is not a citizen; "working in a foreign country takes a bit of getting used to"
Reich - the German state
renegade state, rogue nation, rogue state - a state that does not respect other states in its international actions
suzerain - a state exercising a degree of dominion over a dependent state especially in its foreign affairs
sea power - a nation that possesses formidable naval strength
great power, major power, superpower, world power, power - a state powerful enough to influence events throughout the world
city state, city-state - a state consisting of a sovereign city
ally - a friendly nation
political entity, political unit - a unit with political responsibilities
2.nation - the people who live in a nation or countrynation - 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"
people - (plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively; "old people"; "there were at least 200 people in the audience"
national, subject - a person who owes allegiance to that nation; "a monarch has a duty to his subjects"
Dutch, Dutch people - the people of the Netherlands; "the Dutch are famous for their tulips"
British, British people, Brits - the people of Great Britain
English people, English - the people of England
Irish, Irish people - people of Ireland or of Irish extraction
French people, French - the people of France
Spanish people, Spanish - the people of Spain
Swiss, Swiss people - the natives or inhabitants of Switzerland
3.Nation - United States prohibitionist who raided saloons and destroyed bottles of liquor with a hatchet (1846-1911)
4.nation - a federation of tribes (especially Native American tribes); "the Shawnee nation"
federation of tribes, tribe - a federation (as of American Indians)
confederacy, confederation, federation - a union of political organizations
U.S.A., United States, United States of America, US, USA, America, the States, U.S. - North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean; achieved independence in 1776
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

nation

noun
1. country, state, nation state, power, land, federation, commonwealth, kingdom, realm, superpower, confederation, sovereign state, polity Such policies would require unprecedented cooperation between nations.
2. public, people, community, society, population, populace, body politic It was a story that touched the nation's heart.
Quotations
"For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom" Bible: St. Matthew
"No nation is fit to sit in judgement upon any other nation" [Woodrow Wilson speech]
"A nation is the same people living in the same place" [James Joyce Ulysses]
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

nation

noun
An organized geopolitical unit:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
أُمَّةٌأمَّهشَعْب، دَوْلَهوطن
národnárodnost
nationbefolkningfolk
nacio
kansakansakunta
nacija
nemzet
òjóîþjóð
国民
국가
karinė prievolėnacijanacionalinės nepriklausomybės siekimasnacionalinisnacionalistas
nācijapavalstniekitautavalsts
národ
naroddržava
nation
ประเทศ
ulusmilletetnik gruphalk
quốc gia

nation

[ˈneɪʃən]
A. N (Pol) → nación f; (= people) → pueblo m, nación f
B. CPD Nation of Islam N (US) → Nación f del Islam
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

nation

[ˈneɪʃən] n
nation f
the nation (= the people of this country) → la nation
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

nation

nVolk nt; (= people of one country)Nation f; people of all nationsMenschen aller Nationen; the voice of the nationdie Stimme des Volkes; in the service of the nationim Dienste des Volkes; to address the nationzum Volk sprechen; the whole nation watched him do itdas ganze Land sah ihm dabei zu; the Sioux nationdie Siouxindianer pl, → das Volk der Sioux(indianer)
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

nation

[ˈneɪʃn] nnazione f
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

nation

(ˈneiʃən) noun
1. a group of people living in a particular country, forming a single political and economic unit.
2. a large number of people who share the same history, ancestors, culture etc (whether or not they all live in the same country). the Jewish nation.
national (ˈnӕʃənəl) adjective
of or belonging to a particular nation. national government; national pride.
ˈnationally adverb
ˈnationalism (ˈnӕ-) noun
1. a sense of pride in the history, culture, achievements etc of one's nation.
2. the desire to bring the people of one's nation together under their own government.
ˈnationalist (ˈnӕ-) noun
ˌnationaˈlistic adjective
nationality (nӕʃəˈnӕləti) plural natioˈnalities noun
(the state of belonging to) a particular nation. `What nationality are you?' `I'm German'; You can see (people of) many nationalities in London.
ˈnationalize, ˈnationalise (ˈnӕ-) verb
to make (especially an industry) the property of the nation as a whole rather than the property of an individual.
ˌnationaliˈzation, ˌnationaliˈsation noun
national anthem
a nation's official song or hymn.
national service
in some countries, a period of compulsory service in the armed forces.
ˌnation-ˈwide adjective, adverb
(happening etc) throughout the whole nation. a nation-wide broadcast; They travelled nation-wide.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

nation

أُمَّةٌ národ nation Nation έθνος nación kansakunta nation nacija nazione 国民 국가 natie nasjon naród nação народ nation ประเทศ ulus quốc gia 国家
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
References in classic literature ?
Possibly half-a-dozen men in a nation were entrusted with the idea that had formed in Jacobus Laningdale's head.
I had a mind once to try if he had any inclination for his own country again; and having taught him English so well that he could answer me almost any question, I asked him whether the nation that he belonged to never conquered in battle?
And as it is with us, so it is with a nation, with a people.
But there still remained the last and crowning act, which the people of the Union alone were competent to perform--the institution of civil government, for that compound nation, the United States of America.
But in the exulting illusion of irresistible might a long series of military successes brings to a nation the less obvious aspect of such a fortune may perchance be lost to view.
Besides, it is well known that acknowledgments, explanations, and compensations are often accepted as satisfactory from a strong united nation, which would be rejected as unsatisfactory if offered by a State or confederacy of little consideration or power.
The same man, stimulated by private pique against the MEGARENSIANS,[2] another nation of Greece, or to avoid a prosecution with which he was threatened as an accomplice of a supposed theft of the statuary Phidias,[3] or to get rid of the accusations prepared to be brought against him for dissipating the funds of the state in the purchase of popularity,[4] or from a combination of all these causes, was the primitive author of that famous and fatal war, distinguished in the Grecian annals by the name of the PELOPONNESIAN war; which, after various vicissitudes, intermissions, and renewals, terminated in the ruin of the Athenian commonwealth.
Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth upon this continent a new nation: conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Strange as may be the historical account of how some king or emperor, having quarreled with another, collects an army, fights his enemy's army, gains a victory by killing three, five, or ten thousand men, and subjugates a kingdom and an entire nation of several millions, all the facts of history (as far as we know it) confirm the truth of the statement that the greater or lesser success of one army against another is the cause, or at least an essential indication, of an increase or decrease in the strength of the nation- even though it is unintelligible why the defeat of an army- a hundredth part of a nation- should oblige that whole nation to submit.
Now, at the expiration of four years, during which public declarations have been constantly called forth on every point and phase of the great contest which still absorbs the attention and engrosses the energies of the nation, little that is new could be presented.
The most of King Arthur's British nation were slaves, pure and simple, and bore that name, and wore the iron collar on their necks; and the rest were slaves in fact, but without the name; they imagined them- selves men and freemen, and called themselves so.
Having gone through a preparatory stage of feebleness, this republic has, at last, become an acknowledged nation on the face of the earth,--acknowledged by both France and England.