american

• POS: Adjective, Noun
• HYPHEN: A=mer=i=can

CIDE DICTIONARY

american, a. [Named from Americus Vespucius.].

•  Of or pertaining to America; as, the American continent: American Indians.  [1913 Webster]
•  Of or pertaining to the United States.  Lyell.  [1913 Webster]

American ivy. See Virginia creeper. -- American Party (U. S. Politics), a party, about 1854, which opposed the influence of foreign-born citizens, and those supposed to owe allegiance to a foreign power. -- Native american Party (U. S. Politics), a party of principles similar to those of the American party. It arose about 1843, but soon died out.

american, n. 

 A native of America; -- originally applied to the aboriginal inhabitants, but now applied to the descendants of Europeans born in America, and especially to the citizens of the United States.  [1913 Webster]
"The name American must always exalt the pride of patriotism."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

american, adj. & n.
--adj.
1 of, relating to, or characteristic of the United States or its inhabitants.
2 (usu. in comb.) of or relating to the continents of America (Latin-American).
--n.
1 a native or citizen of the United States.
2 (usu. in comb.) a native or inhabitant of the continents of America (North Americans).
3 the English language as it is used in the United States.

Idiom

American dream the traditional ideals of the American people, such as equality, democracy, and material prosperity. American football a kind of football played with an oval ball, evolved from Rugby football. American Indian see INDIAN.

Etymology

mod.L Americanus f. America f. Latinized name of Amerigo Vespucci, It. navigator d. 1512

ROGET THESAURUS

american

Inhabitant

N inhabitant, resident, residentiary, dweller, indweller, addressee, occupier, occupant, householder, lodger, inmate, tenant, incumbent, sojourner, locum tenens, commorant, settler, squatter, backwoodsman, colonist, islander, denizen, citizen, burgher, oppidan, cockney, cit, townsman, burgess, villager, cottager, cottier, cotter, compatriot, backsettler, boarder, hotel keeper, innkeeper, habitant, paying guest, planter, native, indigene, aborigines, autochthones, Englishman, John Bull, newcomer, aboriginal, American, Caledonian, Cambrian, Canadian, Canuck, downeaster, Scot, Scotchman, Hibernian, Irishman, Welshman, Uncle Sam, Yankee, Brother Jonathan, garrison, crew, population, people, colony, settlement, household, mir, indigenous, native, natal, autochthonal, autochthonous, British, English, American, Canadian, Irish, Scotch, Scottish, Welsh, domestic, domiciliated, domiciled, naturalized, vernacular, domesticated, domiciliary, in the occupation of, garrisoned by, occupied by, inhabitant, resident, residentiary, dweller, indweller, addressee, occupier, occupant, householder, lodger, inmate, tenant, incumbent, sojourner, locum tenens, commorant, settler, squatter, backwoodsman, colonist, islander, denizen, citizen, burgher, oppidan, cockney, cit, townsman, burgess, villager, cottager, cottier, cotter, compatriot, backsettler, boarder, hotel keeper, innkeeper, habitant, paying guest, planter, native, indigene, aborigines, autochthones, Englishman, John Bull, newcomer, aboriginal, American, Caledonian, Cambrian, Canadian, Canuck, downeaster, Scot, Scotchman, Hibernian, Irishman, Welshman, Uncle Sam, Yankee, Brother Jonathan, garrison, crew, population, people, colony, settlement, household, mir, indigenous, native, natal, autochthonal, autochthonous, British, English, American, Canadian, Irish, Scotch, Scottish, Welsh, domestic, domiciliated, domiciled, naturalized, vernacular, domesticated, domiciliary, in the occupation of, garrisoned by, occupied by.