What does "nation" mean?
Nation: 2. The body of inhabitants of a country, united under an independent government of their own. A nation is the unity of a people. Coleridge. Praise the power that hath made and preserved us a nation. F. S. Key.
Additional senses
- 2.Family; lineage. [Obs.] Chaucer.
- 3.(a) One of the divisions of university students in a classification according to nativity, formerly common in Europe. (b) (Scotch Universities) One of the four divisions (named from the parts of Scotland) in which students were classified according to their nativity.
- 4.A great number; a great deal; -- by way of emphasis; as, a nation of herbs. Sterne. Five nations. See under Five. -- Law of nations. See International law, under International, and Law. See People.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00