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AMERICAN

 - 4 dictionary results

A⋅mer⋅i⋅can

  [uh-mer-i-kuhn]
Use AMERICAN in a Sentence
–adjective
1. of or pertaining to the United States of America or its inhabitants: an American citizen.
2. of or pertaining to North or South America; of the Western Hemisphere: the American continents.
3. of or pertaining to the aboriginal Indians of North and South America, usually excluding the Eskimos, regarded as being of Asian ancestry and marked generally by reddish to brownish skin, black hair, dark eyes, and prominent cheekbones.
–noun
4. a citizen of the United States of America.
5. a native or inhabitant of the Western Hemisphere.
6. an Indian of North or South America.
7. American English.
8. a steam locomotive having a four-wheeled front truck, four driving wheels, and no rear truck.

Origin:
1570–80; Americ(a) + -an

Related forms:
A⋅mer⋅i⋅can⋅ly, adverb
A⋅mer⋅i⋅can⋅ness, noun

American, The

 
–noun
a novel (1877) by Henry James.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To AMERICAN
A·mer·i·can   (ə-měr'ĭ-kən)   
adj.  

  1. Of or relating to the United States of America or its people, language, or culture.

  2. Of or relating to North or South America, the West Indies, or the Western Hemisphere.

  3. Of or relating to any of the Native American peoples.

  4. Indigenous to North or South America. Used of plants and animals.

n.  

  1. A native or inhabitant of America.

  2. A citizen of the United States.

  3. American English.

A·mer'i·can·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

American 
17c., from America (q.v.); originally in ref. to what are now called Native Americans; the sense of "resident of America of European descent" is first recorded 1765. American dream first recorded 1931. Americanism "attachment to the U.S." first recorded 1797 in writings of Thomas Jefferson.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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