american
american Lexical Profile
• adjective
Relating to, characteristic of, or originating from the United States of America or its inhabitants.
"The museum opened a new wing dedicated to twentieth-century American literature and art."
Relating to or denoting the continents of North and South America, or the Western Hemisphere as a whole.
"Botanists studied the distribution of native plant species across the American continents."
• noun
A native, citizen, or permanent inhabitant of the United States of America.
"Millions of Americans travel across the country to visit family during the Thanksgiving holiday."
A native or inhabitant of any of the countries or territories of North, Central, or South America.
"The summit brought together leaders representing Americans from across the entire Western Hemisphere."
The variety of the English language spoken and written in the United States.
"Several spelling conventions in American differ noticeably from standard British usage."
Word Nuance & Usage
While 'American' most commonly refers to citizens or attributes of the United States in English usage, in broader geographical contexts and in Spanish or Portuguese ('americano'), the equivalent term encompasses all inhabitants of North, Central, and South America.
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in the 16th century from Modern Latin 'Americanus', derived from 'America', which was named by German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller in 1507 in honor of the Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.