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In Latin American Spanish colloquial speech, Americans may be referred to as gringos (likely originating from griego, meaning Greek), but the word usually carries a disparaging connotation; in Spain and Argentina, a more common word with a similar meaning to gringo is yanqui (from the English Yankee). [16] In Portuguese, the terms used varies ...
The meaning of the word American in the English language varies according to the historical, geographical, and political context in which it is used.American is derived from America, a term originally denoting all of the Americas (also called the Western Hemisphere), ultimately derived from the name of the Florentine explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci (1451–1512).
Word British English meanings Meanings common to British and American English American English meanings daddy longlegs, daddy-long-legs crane fly: daddy long-legs spider: Opiliones: dead (of a cup, glass, bottle or cigarette) empty, finished with very, extremely ("dead good", "dead heavy", "dead rich") deceased
In the 19th century, Americans in the southern United States employed the word in reference to Americans from the northern United States, though not to recent immigrants from Europe. Thus, a visitor to Richmond, Virginia , commented in 1818, "The enterprising people are mostly strangers; Scots, Irish, and especially New England men, or Yankees ...
Words with specific American meanings that have different meanings in British English and/or additional meanings common to both dialects (e.g., pants, crib) are to be found at List of words having different meanings in British and American English. When such words are herein used or referenced, they are marked with the flag [DM] (different ...
American-English, English-American : a two-way glossary of words in daily use on both sides of the Atlantic. Abson. ISBN 978-0-902920-60-6. Davies, Christopher (2005). Divided by a Common Language: A Guide to British and American English. Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 978-0-618-00275-7. Hargraves, Orin (2003).
This whole "controversy" is a non-issue. The uncertainty simply doesn't exist. I challenge anyone to write a paragraph, or even single sentence, that uses the word "American" in a way that leaves the meaning of the text muddled.70.106.199.72 10:34, 16 August 2005 (UTC)
This is an accepted version of this page This is the latest accepted revision, reviewed on 22 February 2025. Citizens and nationals of the United States This article is about the people of the United States of America. For a background on their demonym, see American (word). For other uses, see American (disambiguation) and The Americans (disambiguation). For the legal term, see United States ...