Word of the Day

Monday, October 06, 2003

denizen

\DEN-uh-zuhn\ , noun;

A dweller; an inhabitant.

One that frequents a particular place.

[Chiefly British] An alien granted certain rights of citizenship.

An animal, plant, etc. that has become naturalized.

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Quotes:

Goethe, who visited Berlin only once, found the "wit and irony" of its denizens quite remarkable.

-- Peter Gay, My German Question

But he will know one thing about what it means to be an American, because he has known the raw continent, and not as tourist but as denizen.

-- "Noted With Pleasure", New York Times, February 2, 1992

So Charlie McCreevy is a regular denizen of the "Dáil bar."

-- Kathy Sheridan, "Feeling a little Bullish", Irish Times, April 22, 2000

Origin:

Denizen comes from Anglo-French denzein, "(one) living within (a city or state)," from Old French denz, "within," from Late Latin deintus, "from within," from Latin de-, "from" + intus, "within."