croat
croat Lexical Profile
• noun
A native or inhabitant of Croatia, or a member of the South Slavic ethnic group native to Croatia and neighboring regions such as Bosnia and Herzegovina.
"Many Croats settled in the industrial cities of the American Midwest during the late nineteenth century."
• adjective
Of or relating to Croatia, the Croat ethnic group, or their language and culture.
"The historian studied the migration of Croat tribes into the Adriatic region during the early Middle Ages."
Word Nuance & Usage
While "Croat" and "Croatian" are often used interchangeably as nouns, "Croat" more specifically denotes a member of the South Slavic ethnic group regardless of residence (such as Bosnian Croats), whereas "Croatian" refers more broadly to any citizen of Croatia or its language.
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed via French Croate and Medieval Latin Croata from the native Serbo-Croatian ethnonym Hrvat, which is of uncertain origin but often linked to ancient Iranian or Sarmatian tribal names.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.