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—nationhood, n. —nationless, adj./nay"sheuhn/, n.1. a large body of people, associated with a particular territory, that is sufficiently conscious of its unity to seek or to possess a government peculiarly its own: The president spoke to the nation about the new tax.2. the territory or country itself: the nations of Central America.3. a member tribe of an American Indian confederation.4. an aggregation of persons of the same ethnic family, often speaking the same language or cognate languages.[1250-1300; ME < L nation- (s. of natio) birth, tribe, equiv. to nat(us) (ptp. of nasci to be born) + -ion- -ION]
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IPeople whose common identity creates a psychological bond and a political community.Their political identity usually comprises such characteristics as a common language, culture, ethnicity, and history. More than one nation may comprise a state, but the terms nation, state, and country are often used interchangeably. A nation-state is a state populated primarily by the people of one nationality.II(as used in expressions)Gaelic Nationmost favoured nation treatmentNation Carry AmeliaNation TheAssociation of Southeast Asian NationsBattle of the NationsUnited Nations Monetary and Financial ConferenceUnited Nations Conference on Environment and Development.United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural OrganizationUnited Nations International Children's Emergency FundUnited Nations Children's FundUnited Nations Department of Humanitarian AffairsOffice of the United Nations Disaster Relief CoordinatorUnited Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Office of the* * *
▪ medieval university groupin medieval education, the basic organizational form of early European universities. A nation was formed when groups of students from a particular region or country banded together for mutual protection and welfare in a strange land. In some universities nations were responsible for educating and examining students. Each one was governed by its own proctor, who was elected for terms varying from one month (at the University of Paris) to a year (University of Bologna (Bologna, University of)). Through participation in elections and meetings, the students—many of whom later served on committees and councils of kings and princes—were exposed to the practical workings of constitutional government.At Bologna, the original site of the division into nations and the model for this development in other universities, there were four large nations: the three Italian nations—Lombard, Tuscan, and Roman—and the Ultramontane, which included French, German, and English. Each nation was subdivided into smaller provinces to represent students in university assemblies. Nations were succeeded by studia generalia (“universal study places,” or gathering places for scholars), which became permanent university locations in the late 14th and 15th centuries.* * *
Universalium. 2010.
