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International

 - 4 dictionary results

in⋅ter⋅na⋅tion⋅al

[in-ter-nash-uh-nl]
–adjective
1. between or among nations; involving two or more nations: international trade.
2. of or pertaining to two or more nations or their citizens: a matter of international concern.
3. pertaining to the relations between nations: international law.
4. having members or activities in several nations: an international organization.
5. transcending national boundaries or viewpoints: an international benefit; an international reputation.
–noun
6. (initial capital letter) any of several international socialist or communist organizations formed in the 19th and 20th centuries. Compare First International, Second International, Third International, Fourth International, Labor and Socialist International.
7. (sometimes initial capital letter) a labor union having locals in two or more countries.
8. an organization, enterprise, or group, esp. a major business concern, having branches, dealings, or members in several countries.
9. an employee, esp. an executive, assigned to work in a foreign country or countries by a business or organization that has branches or dealings in several countries.

Origin:
1770–80; inter- + national


in⋅ter⋅na⋅tion⋅al⋅i⋅ty, noun
in⋅ter⋅na⋅tion⋅al⋅ly, adverb


5. worldwide, cosmopolitan.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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in·ter·na·tion·al   (ĭn'tər-nāsh'ə-nəl, -nāsh'nəl)   
adj.   Abbr. int. or intl.
  1. Of, relating to, or involving two or more nations: an international commission; international affairs.

  2. Extending across or transcending national boundaries: international fame.

n.   International
Any of several socialist organizations of international scope formed during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
in'ter·na'tion·al'i·ty (-shə-nāl'ĭ-tē) n., in'ter·na'tion·al·ly adv.
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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Cultural Dictionary

International

An international organization of workers founded by Karl Marx in the 1860s. Weakened by disputes, it was dissolved in 1876, but it was succeeded by three later Internationals, which sought to spread communism throughout the world. The most effective of these was the Third International, formed by the Soviet Union in 1919 and dissolved in 1943 by Joseph Stalin.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

international 
1780, apparently coined by Jeremy Bentham from inter- + national. In communist jargon, with a capital -I-, it is short for International Working Men's Association, the first of which was founded in London by Marx in 1864. The Internationale, the socialist hymn, was written 1871 by Eugène Pottier. Internationalism is from 1851. International Date Line is from 1910.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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