Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition


National

Na′tion-al

(?; 277)
,
Adj.
[Cf. F.
national
.]
1.
Of or pertaining to a nation; common to a whole people or race; public; general;
as, a
national
government, language, dress, custom, calamity, etc.
2.
Attached to one’s own country or nation.
National anthem
,
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.
National bank
,
the official common name of a class of banking corporations established under the laws of the United States.
National flag
.
See under
Flag
.
National guard
,
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.
National salute
,
a salute consisting of as many guns as there are States in the Union.
[U.S.]

Webster 1828 Edition


National

NATIONAL

,
Adj.
1.
Pertaining to a nation; as national customs, dress or language.
2.
Public; general; common to a nation; as a national calamity.
3.
Attached or unduly attached to ones own country. The writer manifested much national prejudice. He was too national to be impartial.

Definition 2024


national

national

See also: național

English

Adjective

national (comparative more national, superlative most national)

  1. Of or having to do with a nation.
  2. (by extension) Of or having to do with a country (sovereign state).
    Import tariffs were raised for the national interest.

Usage notes

See nation for notes regarding the usage of national to refer to the UK and its member states.

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

national (plural nationals)

  1. A subject of a nation.
    The diplomats were advised not to interact with any foreign nationals except on official duty.
  2. (usually in the plural) A tournament in which participants from all over the nation compete.
    After winning the regional tournament, the team advanced to the nationals.

Translations


Danish

Adjective

national

  1. national

Inflection

Inflection of national
Positive Comparative Superlative
Common singular national 2
Neuter singular nationalt 2
Plural nationale 2
Definite attributive1 nationale
1) When an adjective is applied predicatively to something definite, the corresponding "indefinite" form is used.
2) The "indefinite" superlatives may not be used attributively.

Derived terms

References


French

Pronunciation

Adjective

national m (feminine singular nationale, masculine plural nationaux, feminine plural nationales)

  1. national

Derived terms


German

Etymology

Derived from Nation (nation) under the influence of French national.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˌnatsi̯oˈnaːl/, [ˌna.tsjoˈnaːl], /ˈnatsi̯oˌnaːl/, [ˈna.tsjoˌnaːl]
  • Rhymes: -aːl

Adjective

national (comparative nationaler, superlative am nationalsten)

  1. national (being part of the national identity)
    eine nationale Tradition — a national tradition
    die nationale Sprache (≈ die Nationalsprache) — the national language
    nationale Eigenarten — national characteristics
  2. national (of importance for, or to the benefit of the nation as a whole)
    nationale Belange — national interests
    eine nationale Katastrophe — a national catastrophe
    der nationale Dialog — the national dialogue
  3. nationwide, national (covering a country, as opposed to regional and international levels; see usage note below)
    nationale Parlamente (≈ Nationalparlamente) — national parliaments
    auf nationaler Ebene — on the national level
    die nationale Gesetzgebung — national legislation
  4. (moderately) nationalist
    das nationale Lager — the nationalist camp
    Sozialismus nationaler Prägung — socialism with a nationalist imprint

Usage notes

  • The comparative forms are infrequent.
  • German national in the sense of “nationwide” occurs chiefly in a political context, as in the examples above. Its use in other contexts is most often modelled on English usage: ein nationaler Gesangswettbewerb — a national singing competition. The more idiomatic German word is landesweit: ein landesweiter Gesangswettbewerb.

Declension

Derived terms