Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Of, relating to, or characteristic of a nation.
  • adjective Of or relating to nationality.
  • adjective Of or maintained by the government of a nation.
  • adjective Devoted to one's own nation or its interests; patriotic.
  • noun A citizen of a particular nation.
  • noun A contest or tournament involving participants from all parts of a nation.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Of or pertaining to a nation, or a country regarded as a whole: opposed to local or provincial, and in the United States to State: as, national troops, defenses, debt, expenditure, etc.; hence, general; public: as, national interests; the national welfare.
  • Established and maintained by the nation, or by authority of its laws: as, national banks; a national system of education; a national church.
  • Peculiar or common to the whole people of a country: as, national language, customs, or dress; a national trait; a national religion; national pride.
  • Characterized by attachment or devotion to one's own race or country, or its institutions.
  • See assembly.
  • The uame of the popular assembly after the revolution of 1848, and again in 1871 after the fail of the second empire in 1870.
  • According to the Constitution of 1875, the name of the two houses, the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, when in joint session.
  • A name sometimes given to the organized militia in some parts of the United States. Abbreviated N. G.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Of or pertaining to a nation; common to a whole people or race; public; general
  • adjective Attached to one's own country or nation.
  • adjective a popular song or hymn which has become by general acceptance the recognized musical expression of the patriotic sentiment of a nation; as, “God save the King” is called the national anthem of England.
  • adjective the official common name of a class of banking corporations established under the laws of the United States.
  • adjective See under Flag.
  • adjective a body of militia, or a local military organization, as in Paris during the French Revolution, or as certain bodies of militia in other European countries and in the United States.
  • adjective [U.S.] a salute consisting of as many guns as there are States in the Union.
  • noun A citizen (of a particular country).
  • noun A country-wide sports competition; for a series of competitions, the plural form is usually used.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Of or having to do with a nation.
  • adjective by extension Of or having to do with a country (sovereign state).
  • noun A citizen of a nation.
  • noun usually plural A tournament in which participants from all over the nation compete.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a person who owes allegiance to that nation
  • adjective concerned with or applicable to or belonging to an entire nation or country
  • adjective owned or maintained for the public by the national government
  • adjective of or relating to nationality
  • adjective characteristic of or peculiar to the people of a nation
  • adjective of or relating to or belonging to a nation or country
  • adjective inside the country
  • adjective limited to or in the interests of a particular nation

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From New Latin nationalis, from Latin natio ("nation"); see nation.

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Examples

  • Diagnosing the U.S. 'national character': Narcissistic Personality Disorder 'yahooBuzzArticleHeadline =' Diagnosing the U.S. \'national character\ ': Narcissistic Personality Disorder\' '; yahooBuzzArticleSummary =' Article: Can a nation have a coherent character? ....

    Diagnosing the U.S. 'national character': Narcissistic Personality Disorder' 2006

  • It was said that national crimes can only be, and frequently are, punished in this world by _national punishments_, and that the continuance of the slave trade, and thus giving it a national character, sanction, and encouragement, ought to be considered as justly exposing us to the displeasure and vengeance of him who is equally the Lord of all, and who views with equal eye the poor _African slave_ and his _American master!

    The Anti-Slavery Examiner, Omnibus American Anti-Slavery Society

  • It was said that national crimes can only be, and frequently are, punished in this world by _national punishments_, and that the continuance of the slave trade, and thus giving it a national character, sanction, and encouragement, ought to be considered as justly exposing us to the displeasure and vengeance of him who is equally the Lord of all, and who views with equal eye the poor _African slave_ and his _American master!

    The Anti-Slavery Examiner, Part 3 of 4 American Anti-Slavery Society

  • “It introduced into the national consciousness, ” Henry James wrote in 1879, by the “national consciousness” undoubtedly meaning his own as well, “a certain sense of proportion and relation, of the world being a more complicated place than it had hitherto seemed, the future more treacherous, success more difficult …

    Chapter 8. Henry James 1921

  • His demand was laid before the national assembly, and on August 25 it was decided to substitute a new _pacte national_ for the _pacte de famille_, and to invite the king to arm forty-five ships for defence, and to revise the treaty; and a suggestion was made to Spain that she might confirm the new compact by the cession of Louisiana.

    The Political History of England - Vol. X. The History of England from the Accession of George III to the close of Pitt's first Administration William Hunt 1886

  • To enlighten public opinion is the best way that has yet been discovered for the removal of national evils; and slavery is certainly a _national_ evil.

    An Appeal in Favor of that Class of Americans Called Africans Lydia Maria Francis Child 1841

  • Neither will national conceit remain only _national_ conceit, or _vanity_ be confined to admiration of a form of government; in the present mode of educating the youth of America, all sight is lost of humility, good-will, and the other Christian virtues, which are necessary to constitute a good man, whether he be an American, or of any other country.

    Diary in America, Series One Frederick Marryat 1820

  • It was said that national crimes can only be, and frequently are, punished in this world by _national punishments_, and that the continuance of the slave trade, and thus giving it a national character, sanction, and encouragement, ought to be considered as justly exposing us to the displeasure and vengeance of him who is equally the Lord of all, and who views with equal eye the poor _African slave_ and his _American master_! [

    The Anti-Slavery Examiner, Omnibus American Anti-Slavery Society

  • It was said that national crimes can only be, and frequently are, punished in this world by _national punishments_, and that the continuance of the slave trade, and thus giving it a national character, sanction, and encouragement, ought to be considered as justly exposing us to the displeasure and vengeance of him who is equally the Lord of all, and who views with equal eye the poor _African slave_ and his _American master_! [

    The Anti-Slavery Examiner, Part 4 of 4 American Anti-Slavery Society

  • If you do not like the Fijian national dish, -- _national_ in more than one sense, -- have the dear sons of Nature, as Carlyle probably would call them, not the right to reply, -- "We do not like your _sauerkraut_, if you are a German; your

    The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 03, No. 17, March, 1859 Various

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