American
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /əˈmɛɹ.ɪ.kən/
ipa: /əˈmɝ.ə.kən/
note: weak vowel merger
ipa: /əˈmɛɹ.ə.kən/
note: weak vowel merger
ipa: /əˈmɛɹ.kən/
Forms: form: Americans
form: Am.
form: Amer.
form: Americanian
form: Murican
Etymology: Etymology tree
Proto-Germanic *amalą
Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ-
Proto-Indo-European *-s
Proto-Indo-European *h₃rḗǵs
Proto-Celtic *rīxsbor.
Proto-Germanic *rīks
Proto-Germanic *Amalarīksder.
Proto-Indo-European *ḱey-
Proto-Indo-European *-mos
Proto-Indo-European *ḱóymos
Proto-Indo-European *tḱóymos
Proto-Germanic *haimaz
Proto-Germanic *rīks
Proto-Germanic *Haimarīksder.?
Italian Amerigoder.
New Latin Americalbor.
English America
Middle English -n
English -n
English American
From America + -n. compare Latin amerī̆canus.
Senses: examples: text: Americans! your republican politics, not less than your republican religion, are flagrantly inconsistent. You boast of your love of liberty, your superior civilization, and your pure Christianity, while the whole political power of the nation... is solemnly pledged to support and perpetuate the enslavement of three millions of your countrymen.
ref: 1852 July 5, Frederick Douglass, speech to the Ladies' Anti-Slavery Society, Rochester, New York
text: ...the British ruling class obviously could not admit to themselves that their usefulness was at an end. Had they done that they would have had to abdicate. For it was not possible for them to turn themselves into mere bandits, like the American millionaires, consciously clinging to unjust privileges and beating down opposition by bribery and tear-gas bombs. After all, they belonged to a class with a certain tradition, they had been to public schools where the duty of dying for your country, if necessary, is laid down as the first and greatest of the Commandments.
ref: 1941, George Orwell, The Lion and the Unicorn, Pt. I:
text: My fellow Americans, I'm pleased to tell you today that I've signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes.
ref: 1984 Aug. 11, Ronald Reagan, soundcheck for a weekly address
text: Graham Norton: But the people coming up to you now, like the Americans, well, you know, the Americans, they're not shy, the Americans.
Maggie Smith: No. Well, no but I don't go anywhere where really they can get at me. It's usually in museums and art galleries and things, so that limits things. I keep away from there, and Harrod's I don't go near.
ref: 2015 October 30, The Graham Norton Show, season 18, episode 6:
text: Roughly two-thirds of Americans default to the General American accent, with other dialects like Southern, AAVE, and Chicano usually being considered lower prestige outside of entertainment and politics.
glosses: A citizen or national of the United States of America.
glosses: Any inhabitant of the Americas.
glosses: A citizen or inhabitant of British America.
examples: text: The Americans believe that all creatures have souls.
ref: 1711, Joseph Addison, The Spectator, page 56:
text: 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’. ]
ref: 2012, Jonathan Keates, “Mon Père, ce héros”, in Literary Review, section 402:
glosses: An indigenous inhabitant of the Americas.
examples: 1839, Washington Irving, 'National Nomenclature', The Knickerbocker
In France, when I have announced myself as an American, I have been supposed to belong to one of the French colonies; in Spain, to be from Mexico, or Peru, or some other Spanish-American country.
qualifier: 18th century to 19th century
glosses: An inhabitant of French or Spanish New World colonies.
examples: text: -A . Spanish ; my mother and father speak American ; my brothers and sisters speak Spanish ; when he is in the house , we speak American ; we have American prayers at night before we go to bed . Q. Is that usual in the families of the[…]
ref: 1871, United States. Commission of Inquiry to Santo Domingo, Report, with the Introductory Message of the President, Special Reports Made to the Commission, State Papers Furnished by the Dominican Government, and the Statements of Over Seventy Witnesses, page 268:
text: “Do you speak American,” then asked the lady.
“Oh, naow,” he replied with a still stronger emphasis.
“But wouldn't you like to learn American?" persisted the lady.
“Oh, naow, thanks," answered this sturdy little patriot. […]
ref: 1896, The North American Review, volume 163, page 28:
text: The fact that they speak American and don ' t wear German uniforms makes them more dangerous than the Jerries themselves . What does your Springfield Plan do about them ? Here is a fighting challenge . In the light of this challenge the[…]
ref: 1945, Clarence I. Chatto, Alice L. Halligan, The Story of the Springfield Plan:
text: Donate for Give. Good American, but not good English.
ref: 1909, Ambrose Bierce, Write it Right:
text: We sat down in the central square and drank coffee and a man came up and spoke to us in American.
ref: 1942, Rebecca West, Black Lamb and Grey Falcon, Canongate, published 2006, page 756:
text: "Where do you keep your cash, bub?" asked Idris hoarsely. His American was better than Hassan's English.
ref: 1959, Anthony Burgess, Beds in the East (The Malayan Trilogy), published 1972, page 490:
text: JAMES CARTER: Mr. Rice-a-Roni; don't even speak American.
ref: 1998, Jim Kouf, Ross LaManna, Rush Hour, New Line Cinema:
text: DON COLLIER: This is an American tank; we talk American.
ref: 2014, David Ayer, Fury, Columbia Pictures:
glosses: The dialect of English spoken in and around the contiguous United States of America.
examples: text: Q: What kinds of cheese do you have? A: We have American, Swiss, cheddar, provolone, or wiz.
glosses: American cheese.
topics: rail-transport
railways
transport
glosses: A steam locomotive of the 4-4-0 wheel arrangement.
topics: media
printing
publishing
glosses: A size of type smaller than German, 1-point type.
Synonyms: english: UK & Commonwealth
translation: UK & Commonwealth
word: Yank
raw_tags: from the U.S.
word: Ameritard
word: Seppo
word: USian
word: Usonian
word: United Statian
word: US-American
word: United Statesian
sense: person from the Americas
word: Western Hemispherian
sense: person from the Americas
word: New Worlder
word: American
word: Americunt
word: septic
word: Usanian
word: US-ian
word: Usonan
word: US American
word: U.S. American
word: Yankee
Hypernyms: word: inhabitant
word: person
Hyponyms: word: North
word: South
word: & Native American
word: Native American
word: North American
word: South American
word: Alabaman
word: Alabamian
word: Alaskan
word: Arizonan
word: Arizonian
word: Arkansasian
word: Arkansian
word: Californian
word: Coloradan
word: Coloradoan
word: Connecticutensian
word: Connecticuter
word: Connecticutter
word: Nutmegger
word: Delawarean
word: Floridan
word: Floridian
word: Georgian
word: Hawai'ian
word: Hawaiian
word: Hawaiʻian
word: Idahoan
word: Idahonian
word: Illinoian
word: Illinoisan
word: Illinoisian
word: Hoosier
word: Indianan
word: Indianian
word: Hawkeye
word: Iowan
word: Jayhawk
word: Kansan
word: Kentuckian
word: Louisianan
word: Louisianian
word: Mainer
word: Mainite
word: Vacationlander
word: Marylander
word: Marylandian
word: Bay Stater
word: Massachusite
word: Massachusettsan
word: Massachusettsian
word: Masshole
word: Michigander
word: Michiganer
word: Michiganian
word: Minnesotan
word: Minnesotian
word: Mississippian
word: Missouran
word: Missourian
word: Montanan
word: Montanian
word: Nebraska
word: Nevadan
word: Nevadian
word: Hampshirite
word: New Hampshirite
word: Garden Stater
word: Jerseyan
word: Jerseyite
word: New Jerseyite
word: New Jerseyan
word: New Mexican
word: New Yorker
word: New Yorkian
word: North Carolinan
word: North Carolinian
word: Tar Heel
word: North Dakotan
word: Buckeye
word: Ohian
word: Ohioan
word: Oklahoman
word: Sooner
word: Oregonian
word: Pennsylvanian
word: Rhode Islander
word: South Carolinan
word: South Carolinian
word: South Dakotan
word: Tennessean
word: Texan
word: Utahn
word: Vermonter
word: Virginian
word: Washingtonian
word: Mountaineer
word: West Virginian
word: cheesehead
word: Wisconsinite
word: Wyomingian
word: Wyomingite
word: Democrat
word: Republican
Related terms: word: :Category:en:Demonyms for Americans
word: United States of America