Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition


American

A-mer′i-can

(ȧ-mẽr′ĭ-kan)
,
Adj.
[Named from
Americus
Vespucius
.]
1.
Of or pertaining to America;
as, the
American
continent:
American
Indians
.
2.
Of or pertaining to the United States.
“A young officer of the American navy.”
Lyell.
American ivy
.
American Party
(U. S. Politics)
,
a party, about 1854, which opposed the influence of foreign-born citizens, and those supposed to owe allegiance to a foreign power.
Native american Party
(U. S. Politics)
,
a party of principles similar to those of the American party. It arose about 1843, but soon died out.

A-mer′i-can

(ȧ-mẽr′ĭ-kan)
,
Noun.
A native of America; – originally applied to the aboriginal inhabitants, but now applied to the descendants of Europeans born in America, and especially to the citizens of the United States.
The name
American
must always exalt the pride of patriotism.
Washington.

Webster 1828 Edition


American

AMER'ICAN

,
Adj.
Pertaining to America.

AMER'ICAN

,
Noun.
A native of America; originally applied to the aboriginals, or copper-colored races, found here by the Europeans; but now applied to the descendants of Europeans born in America.
The name American must always exalt the pride of patriotism.

Definition 2024


American

American

See also: american, americàn, and Američan

English

Noun

American (plural Americans)

  1. Originally, a native or inhabitant of the British North American colonies of European descent; now, a person born in, or a citizen or inhabitant of, the United States of America. [from 17th c.]
    • 2008, Chris Moss, The Guardian, 9 Aug 2008:
      They say Americans don't walk. Well, they do in the Navajo Nation - because even if northern Arizona has gigabytes of photogenic vistas, getting out of the car is the only way to get your boots covered in desert dust and soak up the silence.
  2. An indigenous inhabitant of the Americas; a Native American or an American Indian. (Now chiefly with qualifying word.) [from 16th c.]
    • 1711, Joseph Addison, The Spectator, 56.1:
      The Americans believe that all creatures have souls.
    • 2012, Jonathan Keates, ‘Mon Père, ce héros’, Literary Review, 402:
      Within a few months the ‘slave Alexandre’ had been successfully transformed into what, across the Channel, was called a ‘blackamoor dandy’. Parisians preferred the more politely euphemistic term ‘American’.
  3. An inhabitant of the Americas. More often this is specified as either North American, Central American or South American.
    Every American's origin is, historically speaking, by immigration, if scientific speculation that points to a human origin in Asia and a migration to the New World over frozen Bering Strait turns out to be correct.
  4. (uncountable, US printing, rare, dated) A size of type smaller than German, 1-point type.

Synonyms

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Translations

Proper noun

American

  1. The English language as spoken in the USA; American English.
    • 1942, Rebecca West, Black Lamb and Grey Falcon (Canongate 2006), page 756:
      We sat down in the central square and drank coffee and a man came up and spoke to us in American.

Translations

Adjective

American (comparative more American, superlative most American)

  1. Of or pertaining to the Americas. More often this is specified as either "North American" or "South American."
  2. Of, from, or pertaining to the United States of America, its people or its culture.
    Thanksgiving is an American tradition.
    He married an American woman in order to get an American passport.
    • 1851, Herman Melville, Moby-Dick, Chapter 1
      Should you ever be athirst in the great American desert, try this experiment, if your caravan happen to be supplied with a metaphysical professor.

Usage notes

Sometimes (usually outside of the USA) used pejoratively (see also anti-Americanism).

Synonyms

Hypernyms

Translations

Derived terms

Look at pages starting with American.

See also

References

Anagrams

american

american

See also: American, americàn, and Američan

Romanian

Adjective

american m, n (feminine singular americană, masculine plural americani, feminine and neuter plural americane)

  1. American

Declension

Noun

american m (plural americani, feminine equivalent americancă)

  1. an American man

Declension


Venetian

Adjective

american m (feminine singular americana, masculine plural americani, feminine plural americane)

  1. American

Related terms

Synonyms