nation
Definitions
A large group of people united by shared culture, language, and territory, usually forming a country.
国家；民族；由共同文化、语言和领土联结的人群。
A people or ethnic community sharing a common origin, not necessarily a state.
民族；拥有共同起源的族群（不一定是一个国家）。
Root Breakdown
Root-derivednat (born) + -ion (act, group) = "a people born together." Latin nātiō named a race or stock — people sharing a birth, an origin. That's why a nation is more than land: it's a community bound by common origin and culture. Once you see "born together" inside it, national, nationality, and nationalism all click into place.
Root nat still carries 44 more wordsCommon Collocations
- 1.a sovereign nation主权国家
- 2.the whole nation举国
- 3.developing nations发展中国家
- 4.across the nation全国上下
- 5.nation-building国家建设
Example Sentences
- 1.
Leaders from every nation gathered to discuss climate change.
- 2.
The whole nation celebrated when the team won the World Cup.
- 3.
The Cherokee are recognized as a sovereign nation within the U.S.
Easily Confused
nation vs country vs state. country is the physical territory and is the most everyday word. state stresses the political/government structure (the State spends, member states). nation stresses the people bound by shared culture and origin. A nation can exist without a state (the Kurdish nation).