c.1300, from O.Fr.
nacion, from L.
nationem (nom.
natio) "nation, stock, race," lit. "that which has been born," from
natus, pp. of
nasci "be born" (see
native). Political sense has gradually taken over from racial meaning "large group of people with common ancestry." Older sense preserved in application to N.Amer. Indian peoples (1650).
Nationality "the fact of belonging to a particular nation" is from 1828.
Nation-building first attested 1907 (implied in
nation-builder).
National is from 1597;
national anthem first recorded 1819, in Shelley.
Nationalize "bring under state control" is from 1869.
[ney-shuh
n] 