Editing American (word)

{{Short description|Definitions for the word American}}
{{italic title|string=American}}
{{use mdy dates|date=September 2021}}
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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 [[Republic of Florence|Florentine]] explorer and cartographer [[Amerigo Vespucci]] (1451–1512). In some expressions, it retains this Pan-American sense, but its usage has evolved over time and, for various historical reasons, the word came to denote people or things specifically from the [[United States of America]]. In contemporary English, ''American'' generally refers to [[Americans|persons]] or [[American culture|things]] related to the United States of America; among native English speakers this usage is almost universal, with any other use of the term requiring specification.<ref name=Wilson>{{cite book|last=Wilson|first=Kenneth G.|title=The Columbia Guide to Standard American English|year=1993|publisher=Columbia University Press|location=New York|isbn=0-231-06989-8|pages=[https://archive.org/details/columbiaguidetos00wils_0/page/27 27]–28|url=https://archive.org/details/columbiaguidetos00wils_0|url-access=registration}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20080316032628/http://www.bartleby.com/68/37/337.html View at Bartleby]</ref> However, some have argued that "American" should be widened to also include people or things from anywhere in the American continents.<ref name="Mencken">{{cite journal | first = H. L. | last = Mencken | title = Names for Americans | journal = American Speech | volume = 22 |date=December 1947 | pages = 241–256 | doi = 10.2307/486658 | issue = 4 | jstor=486658}}</ref><ref name="Gage">{{cite encyclopedia|first1=Walter S.|last1=Avis|first2=Patrick D.|last2=Drysdale|first3=Robert J.|last3=Gregg|first4=Victoria E.|last4=Eeufeldt|first5=Matthew H.|last5=Scargill|year=1983|encyclopedia=Gage Canadian Dictionary|title=American|location=Toronto|publisher=Gage Publishing Limited|page=37|isbn=0-7715-9122-5|edition=pbk}}</ref>

The word can be used as either an [[adjective]] or a [[noun]] ([[viz.]] a [[demonym]]). In adjectival use, it means "of or relating to the United States"; for example, "[[Elvis Presley]] was an American singer" or "the man prefers [[American English]]". In its noun form, the word generally means a [[Demographics of the United States|resident]] or [[United States nationality law|citizen]] of the U.S., but is also used for [[American ethnicity|someone whose ethnic identity is simply "American"]]. The noun is rarely used in English to refer to people not connected to the United States when intending a geographical meaning.<ref name="Wilson"/>{{Not verified in body|date=July 2023}} When used with a [[Grammatical modifier|grammatical qualifier]], the adjective ''American'' can mean "of or relating to the Americas", as in [[Latin America]]n or [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Indigenous American]]. Less frequently, the adjective can take this meaning without a qualifier, as in "[[Spanish dialects and varieties|American Spanish]] dialects and pronunciation differ by country" or the names of the [[Organization of American States]] and the [[American Registry for Internet Numbers]] (ARIN). A third use of the term pertains specifically to the [[indigenous peoples of the Americas]], for instance, "In the 16th century, many Americans died from imported diseases during the European conquest", though this usage is rare, as "[[Indigenous peoples|indigenous]]", "[[First Nations (disambiguation)|First Nations]]" or "[[Amerindian]]" are considered less confusing and generally more appropriate.

Compound constructions which indicate a minority [[ethnic group]], such as "[[African Americans]]" likewise refer exclusively to people in or from the United States of America, as does the [[prefix]] "[[:wiktionary:Americo-|Americo-]]". For instance, the [[Americo-Liberians]] and their language [[Merico language|Merico]] derive their name from the fact that they are [[African-American settlement in Africa|descended from African-American settlers]], i.e. Blacks who were formerly enslaved in the United States of America.

==Other languages==
{{see also|Demonyms for the United States}}
[[French language|French]], [[German language|German]], [[Italian language|Italian]], [[Japanese language|Japanese]],{{efn|name=ja-american|Japanese: "U.S. citizen" is {{nihongo||アメリカ人|amerika-jin}}<ref name="jap-dict">{{cite web|url=http://www.wordreference.com/enja/American|title=American|work=WordReference English-Japanese Dictionary|year=2013|access-date=October 27, 2013|archive-date=December 30, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141230200940/http://www.wordreference.com/enja/american|url-status=live}}</ref>}} [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]], [[Arabic language|Arabic]], and [[Russian language|Russian]]{{efn|Russian: "U.S. citizen" is {{Transliteration|ru|amerikanec}} ({{lang|ru|американец}}) for males and {{Transliteration|ru|amerikanka}} ({{lang|ru|американка}}) for females<ref name="dict-ru">{{cite web|url=http://www.wordreference.com/enru/American|title=American|work=WordReference English-Russian Dictionary|year=2013}}</ref>}} speakers may use cognates of ''American'' to refer to inhabitants of the Americas or to U.S. nationals. They generally have other terms specific to U.S. nationals, such as the German {{lang|de|US-Amerikaner}},<ref name="de-dict">{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://wortschatz.uni-leipzig.de/cgi-bin/wort_www.exe?site=1&Wort=US-Amerikaner|title=US-Amerikaner|encyclopedia=Wortschatz|language=de|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150120193458/http://wortschatz.uni-leipzig.de/cgi-bin/wort_www.exe?site=1&Wort=US-Amerikaner|archive-date=2015-01-20}}</ref> French {{lang|fr|étatsunien}},<ref name="french-etatsunien">{{cite news|url=http://correcteurs.blog.lemonde.fr/2007/07/06/etats-uniens-ou-americains-that-is-the-question/|title=Etats-Uniens ou Américains, that is the question|newspaper=[[Le Monde]]|date=July 6, 2007|language=fr|archive-date=December 27, 2010|access-date=October 27, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101227105310/http://correcteurs.blog.lemonde.fr/2007/07/06/etats-uniens-ou-americains-that-is-the-question/|url-status=live}}</ref> Japanese {{nihongo||米国人|beikokujin}},<ref name="jap-dict-detail">{{cite web|url=http://webdico.com:8080/kanji/quicks?dbname=kokug&sword=American&stype=1|title=American|work=Online English-Japanese Pictorial Dictionary|publisher=Free Light Software|access-date=October 27, 2013|archive-date=October 29, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029195900/http://webdico.com:8080/kanji/quicks?dbname=kokug&sword=American&stype=1|url-status=dead}}</ref> and Italian {{lang|it|statunitense}}.<ref name="dict-it">{{cite web|url=http://www.wordreference.com/iten/statunitense|title=statunitense|work=WordReference English-Italiano Dictionary|year=2013|access-date=October 27, 2013|archive-date=October 29, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029202216/http://www.wordreference.com/iten/statunitense|url-status=live}}</ref> These specific terms may be less common than the term ''American''.<ref name="french-etatsunien"/>

In French, {{lang|fr|états-unien}}, {{lang|fr|étas-unien}} or {{lang|fr|étasunien}}, from {{lang|fr|États-Unis d'Amérique}} ("United States of America"), is a rarely used word that distinguishes U.S. things and persons from the adjective {{lang|fr|américain}}, which denotes persons and things from the United States, but may also refer to "the Americas".<ref name="french-etatsunien"/>

Likewise, German's use of {{lang|de|U.S.-amerikanisch}} and {{lang|de|U.S.-Amerikaner}}<ref name="de-dict"/> observe this cultural distinction, solely denoting U.S. things and people. In normal parlance, the adjective "American" and its direct cognates are usually used if the context renders the nationality of the person clear. This differentiation is prevalent in German-speaking countries, as indicated by the [[style manual]] of the {{Lang|de|[[Neue Zürcher Zeitung]]}} (one of the leading German-language newspapers in Switzerland) which dismisses the term {{lang|de|U.S.-amerikanisch}} as both 'unnecessary' and 'artificial' and recommends replacing it with ''amerikanisch''.<ref>''Vademecum. Der sprachlich-technische Leitfaden der «Neuen Zürcher Zeitung»'', 13th edition. Verlag Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Zürich 2013, p. 102, s. v. ''US-amerikanisch''.</ref> The respective guidelines of the foreign ministries of Austria, Germany and Switzerland all prescribe ''Amerikaner'' and ''amerikanisch'' in reference to the United States for official usage, making no mention of {{lang|de|U.S.-Amerikaner}} or {{lang|de|U.S.-amerikanisch}}.<ref>Eidgenössisches Departement für auswärtige Angelegenheiten: [http://www.eda.admin.ch/etc/medialib/downloads/edazen/topics/intla/cintla.Par.0011.File.tmp/lt_080506_statenames_de.pdf „Liste der Staatenbezeichnungen“] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151103122940/http://www.eda.admin.ch/etc/medialib/downloads/edazen/topics/intla/cintla.Par.0011.File.tmp/lt_080506_statenames_de.pdf |date=2015-11-03 }}; Bundesministerium für europäische und internationale Angelegenheiten: [http://www.bmeia.gv.at/fileadmin/user_upload/oracle/staatennamen_de.pdf „Liste der Staatennamen und deren Ableitungen in den vom Bundesministerium für europäische und internationale Angelegenheiten verwendeten Formen“] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141031193419/http://www.bmeia.gv.at/fileadmin/user_upload/oracle/staatennamen_de.pdf |date=October 31, 2014 }}; Auswärtiges Amt: [http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/cae/servlet/contentblob/332368/publicationFile/3097/Staatennamen.pdf „Verzeichnis der Staatennamen für den amtlichen Gebrauch in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland“]</ref>

Portuguese has {{lang|pt|americano}}, denoting both a person or thing from the Americas and a U.S. national.<ref name="pt-americano">{{cite encyclopedia|encyclopedia=Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa|url=http://www.priberam.pt/dlpo/default.aspx?pal=americano|title=americano|language=pt|access-date=July 16, 2011|archive-date=September 27, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927055924/http://www.priberam.pt/dlpo/default.aspx?pal=americano|url-status=live}}</ref> For referring specifically to a U.S. national and things, some words used are {{lang|pt|estadunidense}} (also spelled {{lang|pt|estado-unidense}}, "United States person"), from {{lang|pt|Estados Unidos da América}}, and {{lang|pt|ianque}} ("Yankee")—both usages exist in Brazil (although "americano" is more frequent), but are uncommon in Portugal—but the term most often used, and the only one in Portugal, is {{lang|pt|norte-americano}}, even though it could, as with its Spanish equivalent, apply to Canadians and Mexicans as well.

In Spanish, {{lang|es|americano}} denotes geographic and cultural origin in the New World, as well as (infrequently) a U.S. citizen;<ref name="rae-americano">{{cite encyclopedia|encyclopedia=[[Diccionario de la lengua española]]|title=americano|url=http://buscon.rae.es/draeI/SrvltGUIBusUsual?TIPO_HTML=2&TIPO_BUS=3&LEMA=americano|publisher=Real Academia Española|language=es|access-date=July 16, 2011|archive-date=April 4, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100404155419/http://buscon.rae.es/draeI/SrvltGUIBusUsual?TIPO_HTML=2&TIPO_BUS=3&LEMA=americano|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | title = Pequeño Larousse Ilustrado 1992 edition, look up word Americano: Contains the Observation: Debe evitarse el empleo de americano con el sentido de norteamericano o de los Estados Unidos|trans-title=Usage of the word with the meaning of U.S. citizen or the United States must be avoided |language=es}}</ref>{{efn|The first two definitions in ''[[Diccionario de la lengua española]]'' (the [[Linguistic prescription#Authority|official dictionary]] in Spanish) define {{lang|es|americano}} as "Native of America" [{{lang|es|Natural de América}}] and "Pertaining or relating to this part of the world" [{{lang|es|Perteneciente o relativo a esta parte del mundo}}], where {{lang|es|América}} refers to the continent.{{refn|{{cite encyclopedia|title=América|encyclopedia=WordReference English-Spanish Dictionary|url=http://www.wordreference.com/es/en/translation.asp?spen=Am%C3%A9rica}}}} The fourth definition of {{lang|es|americano}} is defined as "United States person" [{{lang|es|estadounidense}}].}} the more common term is {{lang|es|estadounidense}} ("United States person"), which derives from {{lang|es|Estados Unidos de América}} ("United States of America"). The Spanish term {{lang|es|norteamericano}} ("North American") is frequently used to refer things and persons from the United States, but this term can also denote people and things from Canada and Mexico.<ref name="rae-estadosunidos">{{cite encyclopedia|encyclopedia=Diccionario panhispánico de dudas|url=http://buscon.rae.es/dpd/?key=norteamericano&origen=REDPD|title=norteamericano|language=es|access-date=October 26, 2013|archive-date=October 29, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029185639/http://buscon.rae.es/dpd/?key=norteamericano&origen=REDPD|url-status=live}}</ref> Among Spanish-speakers, North America generally does not include Central America or the Caribbean.

Conversely, in [[Czech language|Czech]], there is no possibility for disambiguation. ''[[:wiktionary:Američan|Američan]]'' (m.) and ''[[:wiktionary:Američanka|američanka]]'' (f.) can refer to persons from the United States or from the continents of the Americas, and there is no specific word capable of distinguishing the two meanings. For this reason, the latter meaning is very rarely used, and word {{lang|cs|američan(ka)}} is used almost exclusively to refer to persons from the United States. The usage is exactly parallel to the English word.

In other languages, however, there is no possibility for confusion. For example, the [[Chinese language|Chinese]] word for "U.S. national" is {{Transliteration|zh|měiguórén}} ({{lang-zh|t=美國人|s=美国人}})<ref name="zh-dict-us-natural">{{cite web|url=http://www.wordreference.com/zhen/%E7%BE%8E%E5%9B%BD%E4%BA%BA|title=美国人|work=WordReference English-Chinese Dictionary|year=2013|access-date=October 27, 2013|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304110350/http://www.wordreference.com/zhen/%E7%BE%8E%E5%9B%BD%E4%BA%BA|url-status=live}}</ref>{{efn|{{Transliteration|zh|Měiguórén}} is the [[Standard Mandarin]] pronunciation.}} is derived from a word for the United States, {{Transliteration|zh|měiguó}}, where {{Transliteration|zh|měi}} is an abbreviation for ''Yàměilìjiā'' ("America") and {{Transliteration|zh|guó}} is "country".<ref name="zh-dict-us">{{cite web|url=http://www.wordreference.com/enzh/United%20States|title=United States|work=WordReference English-Chinese Dictionary|year=2013|access-date=October 27, 2013|archive-date=October 29, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029195610/http://www.wordreference.com/enzh/United%20States|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="zh-dict-america">{{cite web|url=http://www.wordreference.com/enzh/America|title=America|work=WordReference English-Chinese Dictionary|year=2013|access-date=October 27, 2013|archive-date=October 29, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029190447/http://www.wordreference.com/enzh/America|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="zh-dict-country">{{cite web|url=http://www.wordreference.com/enzh/country|title=country|work=WordReference English-Chinese Dictionary|year=2013|access-date=October 27, 2013|archive-date=October 29, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029192052/http://www.wordreference.com/enzh/country|url-status=live}}</ref> The name for the American continents is {{Transliteration|zh|měizhōu}}, from {{Transliteration|zh|měi}} plus {{Transliteration|zh|zhōu}} ("continent").<ref name="zh-dict-continent">{{cite web|url=http://www.wordreference.com/enzh/continent|title=continent|work=WordReference English-Chinese Dictionary|year=2013|access-date=October 27, 2013|archive-date=October 29, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029195433/http://www.wordreference.com/enzh/continent|url-status=live}}</ref> Thus, a {{Transliteration|zh|měi'''zhōu'''rén}} is an American in the continent sense, and a {{Transliteration|zh|měi'''guó'''rén}} is an American in the U.S. sense.{{efn|Chinese: {{Transliteration|zh|měiguó}} ("United States") is written as {{lang|zh|美国}}, {{Transliteration|zh|měizhōu}} ("America the continent") is written as {{lang|zh|美洲}}, {{Transliteration|zh|guó}} ("country") is written as {{lang|zh|国}}, and {{Transliteration|zh|zhōu}} ("continent") is written as {{lang|zh|洲}}.<ref name="zh-dict-us"/><ref name="zh-dict-america"/><ref name="zh-dict-country"/><ref name="zh-dict-continent"/>}}

[[Korean language|Korean]] and [[Vietnamese language|Vietnamese]] also use unambiguous terms, with Korean having {{Transliteration|ko|Migug}} ({{lang|ko|미국(인)}}) for the country versus {{Transliteration|ko|Amerika}} ({{lang|ko|아메리카}}) for the continents,<ref name="ko-dict-america">{{cite web|url=http://www.wordreference.com/enko/america|title=america|work=WordReference English-Korean Dictionary|year=2013|access-date=October 27, 2013|archive-date=October 29, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029191432/http://www.wordreference.com/enko/america|url-status=live}}</ref> and Vietnamese having {{lang|vi|Hoa Kỳ}} for the country versus {{lang|vi|Châu Mỹ}} for the continents.{{citation needed|date=October 2013}} [[Japanese language|Japanese]] has such terms as well ({{Transliteration|ja|beikoku(jin)}} [{{lang|ja|米国(人)}} versus {{Transliteration|ja|beishū(jin)}} [{{lang|ja|米洲人}}]), but they are found more in newspaper headlines than in speech, where {{Transliteration|ja|amerikajin}} predominates.{{efn|name=ja-american}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wordhippo.com/what-is/the/japanese-word-for-768685ca582abd0af2fbb57ca37752aa98c9372b.html|title=How to say "united states" in Japanese|access-date=February 13, 2020|archive-date=March 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308155141/https://www.wordhippo.com/what-is/the/japanese-word-for-768685ca582abd0af2fbb57ca37752aa98c9372b.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In [[Swahili language|Swahili]], {{lang|sw|Marekani}} means specifically the United States, and {{lang|sw|Mmarekani}} is a U.S. national, whereas the international form {{lang|sw|Amerika}} refers to the continents, and {{lang|sw|Mwamerika}} would be an inhabitant thereof.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sw.bab.la/kamusi/kiingereza-kiswahili/united-states|title=United States|publisher=Wasilana & Amana|work=bab.la|access-date=2013-10-27|archive-url=https://archive.today/20131028003031/http://sw.bab.la/kamusi/kiingereza-kiswahili/united-states|archive-date=2013-10-28|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://sw.bab.la/kamusi/kiswahili-kiingereza/amerika|title=amerika|publisher=Wasilana & Amana|work=bab.la|access-date=2013-10-27|archive-url=https://archive.today/20131028003013/http://sw.bab.la/kamusi/kiswahili-kiingereza/amerika|archive-date=2013-10-28|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://sw.bab.la/kamusi/kiingereza-kiswahili/american|title=American|publisher=Wasilana & Amana|work=bab.la|access-date=2013-10-27|archive-url=https://archive.today/20131028002946/http://sw.bab.la/kamusi/kiingereza-kiswahili/american|archive-date=2013-10-28|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{efn|In Swahili, adding the prefix ''m(w)-'' to a word indicates a person (''wa-'' would indicate people).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.masai-mara.com/mmsw2.htm|title=Introduction to Swahili|author=Youngman, Jeremy|work=Masai Mara|access-date=October 27, 2013|archive-date=November 2, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102155034/http://www.masai-mara.com/mmsw2.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>}} Likewise, the [[Esperanto]] word {{lang|eo|Ameriko}} refers to the continents. For the country there is the term {{lang|eo|Usono}}. Thus, a citizen of the United States is an {{lang|eo|usonano}}, whereas an {{lang|eo|amerikano}} is an inhabitant of the Americas.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.esperanto.mobi/en/dictionary-esperanto-english/Ameriko|title=Ameriko|work=Esperanto–English Dictionary|access-date=October 27, 2013|archive-date=October 29, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029193716/http://www.esperanto.mobi/en/dictionary-esperanto-english/Ameriko|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.esperanto.mobi/en/dictionary-esperanto-english/Usono|title=Usono|work=Esperanto–English Dictionary|access-date=October 27, 2013|archive-date=December 21, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141221205330/http://www.esperanto.mobi/en/dictionary-esperanto-english/Usono|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.esperanto.mobi/en/dictionary-esperanto-english/usonano|title=usonano|work=Esperanto–English Dictionary|access-date=October 27, 2013|archive-date=October 29, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029201232/http://www.esperanto.mobi/en/dictionary-esperanto-english/usonano|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{in lang|eo}} {{cite web|url=http://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/amerik.html|title=Reta Vortaro|trans-title=Internet Dictionary|access-date=December 21, 2014|archive-date=December 21, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141221211241/http://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/amerik.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Amerigo Vespucci (with turban).jpg|thumb|''America'' is named after Italian explorer [[Amerigo Vespucci]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-04-24-america-turns-500_N.htm?csp=34 |title=Cartographer Put 'America' on the Map 500 years Ago |work=USA Today |location=Washington, D.C. |date=April 24, 2007 |agency=Associated Press |access-date=November 30, 2008 |archive-date=January 24, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090124162928/http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-04-24-america-turns-500_N.htm?csp=34 |url-status=live }}</ref>]]
The name ''America'' was coined by [[Martin Waldseemüller]] from ''Americus Vesputius'', the Latinized version of the name of [[Amerigo Vespucci]] (1454–1512), the [[Republic of Florence|Florentine]] explorer who mapped South America's east coast and the [[Caribbean]] Sea in the early 16th century. Later, Vespucci's published letters were the basis of [[Waldseemüller map|Waldseemüller's 1507 map]], which is the first usage of ''America''. The adjective ''American'' subsequently denoted the New World.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/tudors/americaname_01.shtml |title=The Naming of America |work=BBC |date=March 29, 2011 |access-date=September 25, 2020 |archive-date=November 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108114052/http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/tudors/americaname_01.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref>

In the 16th century, European usage of ''American'' denoted the native inhabitants of the New World.<ref name="OED">{{subscription required}} {{cite encyclopedia|url=http://dictionary.oed.com.dax.lib.unf.edu/cgi/entry/50007152?query_type=word&queryword=American&first=1&max_to_show=10&sort_type=alpha&result_place=1&search_id=870u-gw0naW-7329&hilite=50007152|title=American|encyclopedia=[[Oxford English Dictionary]]|access-date=November 27, 2008}}{{Dead link|date=March 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The earliest recorded use of this term in English is in [[Thomas Hacket]]'s 1568 translation of [[André Thévet]]'s book ''[[France Antarctique]]''; Thévet himself had referred to the natives as ''Ameriques''.<ref name="OED"/> In the following century, the term was extended to European settlers and their descendants in the Americas. The earliest recorded use of "English-American" dates to 1648, in [[Thomas Gage (clergyman)|Thomas Gage]]'s ''The English-American his travail by sea and land: or, a new survey of the West India's''.<ref name="OED"/>

In English, ''American'' was used especially for people in [[British America]].  [[Samuel Johnson]], the leading English lexicographer, wrote in 1775, before the United States declared independence: "That the Americans are able to bear taxation is indubitable."<ref name="OED"/> The [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence of July 1776]] refers to "[the] unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America" adopted by the "Representatives of the united States of America" on July 4, 1776.<!-- "united" is not capitalized in this phrase as it appears in the Declaration --><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_zoom_2.html|title=Declaration of Independence|publisher=National Archives|date=July 4, 1776|access-date=August 25, 2017|archive-date=October 1, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161001160408/http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_zoom_2.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The official name of the country was reaffirmed on November 15, 1777, when the [[Second Continental Congress]] adopted the [[Articles of Confederation]], the first of which says, "The Stile of this Confederacy shall be 'The United States of America'". The Articles further state:
{{Blockquote|In Witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands in Congress. Done at Philadelphia in the State of Pennsylvania the ninth day of July in the Year of our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred and Seventy-Eight, and in the Third Year of the independence of America.}}
[[File:Bowen America.png|thumb|300px|left|British map of the Americas in 1744]]

Thomas Jefferson, newly elected president in May 1801 wrote, "I am sure the measures I mean to pursue are such as would in their nature be approved by every American who can emerge from preconceived prejudices; as for those who cannot, we must take care of them as of the sick in our hospitals. The medicine of time and fact may cure some of them."<ref>Letter TJ to Theodore Foster, May 1801, in Paul Leicester Ford ed., ''The Works of Thomas Jefferson'' (1905) 8:50.</ref>

In ''[[The Federalist Papers]]'' (1787–88), [[Alexander Hamilton]] and [[James Madison]] used the adjective ''American'' with two different meanings: one political and one geographic; "the American republic" in [[Federalist No. 51]] and in [[Federalist No. 70]],<ref name=federalist51>{{cite book|url=http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Federalist/51|chapter=The Structure of the Government Must Furnish the Proper Checks and Balances Between the Different Departments|title=The Federalist|number=51|author=Madison, James|archive-date=October 29, 2013|access-date=October 26, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029203249/http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Federalist/51|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=federalist70>{{cite book|url=http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Federalist_Papers/No._70|author=Hamilton, Alexander|chapter=The Executive Department Further Considered|title=The Federalist|number=70|archive-date=October 29, 2013|access-date=October 26, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029202922/http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Federalist_Papers/No._70|url-status=live}}</ref> and, in [[Federalist No. 24]], Hamilton used ''American'' to denote the lands beyond the U.S.'s political borders.<ref name=federalist24>{{cite book | first = Alexander | last = Hamilton | title = The Federalist Papers | number = 24 | url = http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Federalist/24l | chapter = The Powers Necessary to the Common Defense Further Considered}}</ref>

Early official U.S. documents show inconsistent usage; the [[Treaty of Alliance (1778)|1778 Treaty of Alliance]] with [[France]] used "the United States of North America" in the first sentence, then "the said united States"<!-- all instances of this phrase in the Treaty leaved "united" uncapitalized -->  afterwards; "the United States of America" and "the United States of North America" derive from "the United Colonies of America" and "the United Colonies of North America". The Treaty of Peace and Amity of September 5, 1795, between the United States and the [[Barbary States]] contains the usages "the United States of North America", "citizens of the United States", and "American Citizens".<ref>{{cite web | url = http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/bar1795t.asp | title = The Barbary Treaties: Treaty of Peace and Amity | access-date = October 26, 2013 | archive-date = August 19, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150819071028/http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/bar1795t.asp | url-status = live }}</ref>{{synthesis inline|date=October 2013}}

[[File:Washington's Farewell Address.jpg|thumb|''[[George Washington's Farewell Address]]'' (1796)]]
U.S. President [[George Washington]], in his [[George Washington's Farewell Address|1796 ''Farewell Address'']], declaimed that "The name of American, which belongs to you in your national capacity, must always exalt the just pride of patriotism more than any appellation."<ref>[[wikisource:Washington's Farewell Address]]</ref> Political scientist Virginia L. Arbery notes that, in his ''Farewell Address'':<blockquote> "...Washington invites his fellow citizens to view themselves now as Americans who, out of their love for the truth of liberty, have replaced their maiden names (Virginians, South Carolinians, New Yorkers, etc.) with that of “American”. Get rid of, he urges, “any appellation derived from local discriminations.” By defining himself as an American rather than as a Virginian, Washington set the national standard for all citizens. "Over and over, Washington said that America must be something set apart. As he put it to [[Patrick Henry]], 'In a word, I want an ''American'' character, that the powers of Europe may be convinced we act for ''ourselves'' and not for ''others''.'"<ref>Arbery, Virginia L. (1999), "Washington's Farewell Address and the Form of the American Regime"; In: Gary L. Gregg II and Matthew Spalding, ''Patriot Sage: George Washington and the American Political Tradition'', pp. 204, 206.</ref> </blockquote>As the historian [[Garry Wills]] has noted: "This was a theme dear to Washington. He wrote to [[Timothy Pickering]] that the nation 'must never forget that we are Americans; the remembrance of which will convince us we ought not to be French or English'."<ref>[[Garry Wills|Wills, Garry]] (1984), ''Cincinnatus: George Washington and the Enlightenment'', pp. 92-93.</ref> Washington's countrymen subsequently embraced his exhortation with notable enthusiasm.

This semantic divergence among North American [[English-speaking world|anglophones]], however, remained largely unknown in the Spanish-American colonies. In 1801, the document titled ''Letter to American Spaniards''—published in French (1799), in Spanish (1801), and in English (1808)—might have influenced [[Venezuela]]'s [[Venezuelan Declaration of Independence|Act of Independence]] and its 1811 constitution.<ref>{{cite journal | url = http://www.histal.umontreal.ca/espanol/documentos/la%20carta%20dirigida%20a%20los%20espanoles%20americanos.htm | title = La "Carta dirigida a los españoles americanos", una carta que recorrió muchos caminos..|trans-title=The "Letter directed to Spanish Americans", a letter that traversed many paths...|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100127135222/http://www.histal.umontreal.ca/espanol/documentos/la%20carta%20dirigida%20a%20los%20espanoles%20americanos.htm|archive-date=January 27, 2010|author=Bastin, Georges L. Bastin|author2=Castrillón, Elvia R.|journal=Hermeneus|number=6|year=2004|pages=276–290|language=es}}</ref>

The [[Latter-day Saints]]' [[Articles of Faith (Latter Day Saints)|Articles of Faith]] refer to the American continents as where they are to build Zion.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/pgp/a-of-f/1.10?lang=eng|title=Articles of Faith 1:10|author=The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints|quote=We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent...|access-date=July 15, 2019|archive-date=July 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190715032816/https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/pgp/a-of-f/1.10?lang=eng|url-status=live}}</ref>

Common short forms and abbreviations are the ''United States'', the ''U.S.'', the ''U.S.A.'', and ''America''; colloquial versions include the ''U.S. of A.'' and ''the States''. The term ''[[Columbia (name)|Columbia]]'' (from the Columbus surname) was a popular name for the U.S. and for the entire geographic Americas; its usage is present today in the [[Washington, D.C.|District of Columbia]]'s name. Moreover, the womanly personification of Columbia appears in some official documents, including editions of the U.S. dollar.

==Usage at the United Nations==
Use of the term ''American'' for U.S. nationals is common at the [[United Nations]], and financial markets in the United States are referred to as "American financial markets".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.un.org/News/briefings/docs/2009/090326_GA.doc.htm|title=Financial Reform Recommendations to General Assembly|date=March 26, 2009|publisher=United Nations}}</ref>

[[American Samoa]], an [[unincorporated territory of the United States]], is a recognized territorial name at the United Nations.<ref name=UN>{{cite web|url=https://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/ittmig2002/locations/016.htm|title=American Samoa|publisher=United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division|access-date=August 6, 2009|archive-date=June 28, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628235834/http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/ittmig2002/locations/016.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Cultural views==

===Canada===
Modern Canadians typically refer to people from the United States as ''Americans'', though they seldom refer to the United States as ''America''; in English they use the terms ''the United States'', ''the U.S.'', or (informally) ''the States'' instead.<ref name="oxfcdn">{{cite book|author=Fee, Margery|author2=McAlpine, J.|year=1997|title=Oxford Guide to Canadian English Usage|url=https://archive.org/details/guidetocanadiane0000feem|url-access=registration|isbn=0-19-541619-8|location=Toronto|publisher=Oxford University Press|page=[https://archive.org/details/guidetocanadiane0000feem/page/36 36]}}</ref> Because of anti-American sentiment or simply national pride, Canadians never apply the term ''American'' to themselves.<ref>{{cite web | last=Mallinder | first=Lorraine | title=What does it mean to be Canadian? | website=BBC News | date=May 16, 2012 | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-radio-and-tv-18086952 | access-date=Nov 23, 2022}}</ref><ref name="The Canada Guide 2020">{{cite web | title=Anti-Americanism | website=The Canada Guide | date=Nov 17, 2020 | url=https://thecanadaguide.com/culture/anti-americanism/ | access-date=Nov 23, 2022 | archive-date=November 23, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221123001512/https://thecanadaguide.com/culture/anti-americanism/ | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Morrison 2003 p. ">{{cite book | last=Morrison | first=K.L. | title=Canadians are Not Americans: Myths and Literary Traditions | publisher=Second Story Press | year=2003 | isbn=978-1-896764-73-3 | page=intro}}</ref>  Not being an "American" is a part of [[Canadian identity]],<ref name="Holtug Lippert-Rasmussen Lægaard 2009 p. 172">{{cite book | last1=Holtug | first1=N. | last2=Lippert-Rasmussen | first2=K. | last3=Lægaard | first3=S. | title=Nationalism and Multiculturalism in a World of Immigration | publisher=Palgrave Macmillan UK | year=2009 | isbn=978-0-230-37777-6 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nK2GDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA172 | access-date=Nov 23, 2022 | page=172}}</ref><ref name="Schwartz 2022 p. 6">{{cite book | last=Schwartz | first=M.A. | title=Public Opinion and Canadian Identity | publisher=University of California Press | series=UC Press voices revived | year=2022 | isbn=978-0-520-37363-1 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tI2EEAAAQBAJ&pg=PR6 | access-date=Nov 23, 2022 | page=6}}</ref> with many Canadians resenting being referred to as Americans or mistaken for U.S. citizens.<ref name="CBC 2010">{{cite web | title=Canadians: Do you take offence if you're mistaken for American? - Point of View | website=CBC | date=Aug 12, 2010 | url=https://www.cbc.ca/news2/pointofview/2010/08/canadians-do-you-take-offence-if-youre-mistaken-for-american.html | access-date=Nov 23, 2022 | archive-date=November 23, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221123001518/https://www.cbc.ca/news2/pointofview/2010/08/canadians-do-you-take-offence-if-youre-mistaken-for-american.html | url-status=live }}</ref> This is often due to others' inability, particularly overseas, to distinguish [[English Canada|English-speaking Canadians]] from [[Americans]], by their [[Accent (sociolinguistics)|accent]] or other cultural attributes.<ref name="oxfcdn"/> Some Canadians have protested the use of ''American'' as a national demonym.<ref>{{cite journal|last=de Ford|first=Miriam Allen|date=April 1927|title=On the difficulty of indicating nativity in the United States|journal=American Speech|volume=2|issue=7|page=315|doi=10.2307/452894|jstor=452894}}</ref> People of American origin in Canada are categorized as "Other North American origins" by [[Statistics Canada]] for purposes of [[census]] counts.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.statcan.gc.ca/tables-tableaux/sum-som/l01/cst01/demo26a-eng.htm|title=Population by selected ethnic origins, by province and territory (2006 Census)|date=15 January 2001|publisher=Statistics Canada|access-date=October 27, 2013|archive-date=May 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180516231123/http://www.statcan.gc.ca/tables-tableaux/sum-som/l01/cst01/demo26a-eng.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Spain and Hispanic America===
The use of ''American'' as a national [[demonym]] for U.S. nationals is challenged, primarily by Hispanic Americans.<ref name="Mencken"/> Spanish speakers in Spain and [[Hispanic America]] use the term {{lang|es|estadounidense}} to refer to people and things from the United States (from {{lang|es|Estados Unidos}}), while {{lang|es|americano}} refers to the [[the Americas|continents]] as a whole (from ''América'').<ref name="rae-americano"/><ref name="rae-estadounidense">{{cite encyclopedia|encyclopedia=Diccionario de la lengua española|title=estadounidense|url=http://lema.rae.es/drae/?val=estadounidense|publisher=Real Academia Española|quote=[Translated:] 1. adj. Native of the United States of America|language=es|access-date=October 27, 2013|archive-date=October 29, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029194745/http://lema.rae.es/drae/?val=estadounidense|url-status=live}} [Original:] "1. adj. Natural de los Estados Unidos de América."</ref> The term {{lang|es|gringo}} is also accepted in many parts of Hispanic America to refer to a person or something from the United States;<ref name="rae-gringo">{{cite encyclopedia|encyclopedia=Diccionario de la lengua española|title=gringo|url=http://dle.rae.es/?id=JY0Q3cz|publisher=Real Academia Española|quote=[Translated:] 3. adj. Bol., Chile, Col., Cuba, Ec., El Salv., Hond., Nic., Par., Peru, Ur. and Ven. Native of the United States of America|language=es|access-date=September 8, 2016|archive-date=October 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161004204832/http://dle.rae.es/?id=JY0Q3cz|url-status=live}} [Original:] "3. adj. Bol., Chile, Col., Cuba, Ec., El Salv., Hond., Nic., Par., Perú, Ur. y Ven. estadounidense."</ref> however, this term may be ambiguous in certain parts. Up to and including the 1992 edition, the {{lang|es|Diccionario de la lengua española}}, published by the [[Real Academia Española]], did not include the United States definition in the entry for {{lang|es|americano}}; this was added in the 2001 edition.<ref name="rae-americano"/>{{efn|name=rae-americano-note}}<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|publisher=Real Academia Española |encyclopedia=Diccionario usual |year=1992 |edition=21st |page=89 |title=americano |url=http://buscon.rae.es/ntlle/SrvltGUILoginNtlle |language=es |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060501220632/http://buscon.rae.es/ntlle/SrvltGUILoginNtlle |archive-date=2006-05-01 }} To access, click the magnifying glass in the upper left-hand corner. In the field titled "Lema", type "americano"; for the "Resultados" radio buttons, select "Diccionario"; in the field in the selection field for "Diccionarios", make sure that "1992 Academica Usual" is selected. Then click "Buscar".</ref> The Real Academia Española advised against using {{lang|es|americanos}} exclusively for U.S. nationals:<ref name="rae-estadosunidos"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://lema.rae.es/dpd/srv/search?id=4EWtRO1VZD6v7sHSpo|title=Estados Unidos|publisher=Real Academia Española|access-date=2015-11-03|archive-date=January 28, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160128110303/http://lema.rae.es/dpd/srv/search?id=4EWtRO1VZD6v7sHSpo|url-status=live}}</ref>
{{blockquote|[Translated] It is common, and thus acceptable, to use {{lang|es|norteamericano}} as a synonym of {{lang|es|estadounidense}}, even though strictly speaking, the term ''norteamericano'' can equally be used to refer to the inhabitants of any country in North America, it normally applies to the inhabitants of the United States. But ''americano'' should not be used to refer exclusively to the inhabitants of the United States, an abusive usage which can be explained by the fact that in the United States, they frequently abbreviate the name of the country to "America" (in English, with no accent).{{efn|name=rae-americano-note|[Untranslated] {{lang|es|Está muy generalizado, y resulta aceptable, el uso de norteamericano como sinónimo de estadounidense, ya que, aunque en rigor el término norteamericano podría usarse igualmente en alusión a los habitantes de cualquiera de los países de América del Norte o Norteamérica, se aplica corrientemente a los habitantes de los Estados Unidos.  Pero debe evitarse el empleo de americano para referirse exclusivamente a los habitantes de los Estados Unidos, uso abusivo que se explica por el hecho de que los estadounidenses utilizan a menudo el nombre abreviado América (en inglés, sin tilde) para referirse a su país.}} }} }}

===Portugal and Brazil===
Generally, {{lang|pt|americano}} denotes "U.S. citizen" in [[Portugal]].<ref name="pt-americano"/> The adjective currently used by the Portuguese press is {{lang|pt|norte-americano}}.<ref>{{cite web | url= https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english-portuguese/american |title = American English to Portuguese |author =<!--Not Stated--> |publisher = Cambridge.org | access-date = June 20, 2024}}</ref>

In [[Brazil]], the term {{lang|pt|americano}} is used to address both that which pertains to the [[Americas]] and that which pertains to the U.S.; the particular meaning is deduced from context. Alternatively, the term {{lang|pt|norte-americano}} ("North American") is also used in more informal contexts, while {{lang|pt|estadunidense}} (of the U.S.) is the preferred form in academia. Use of the three terms is common in schools, government, and media. The term {{lang|pt|América}} is used exclusively for the whole continent, and the U.S. is called {{lang|pt|Estados Unidos}} ("United States") or {{lang|pt|Estados Unidos da América}} ("United States of America"), often abbreviated {{lang|pt|EUA}}.{{citation needed|date=October 2013}}

==In other contexts==
"American" in the 1994 ''[[AP Stylebook|Associated Press Stylebook]]'' was defined as, "An acceptable description for a resident of the United States. It also may be applied to any resident or citizen of nations in North or South America." Elsewhere, the ''AP Stylebook'' indicates that "United States" must "be spelled out when used as a noun. Use U.S. (no space) only as an adjective."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://writingexplained.org/ap-style/ap-style-united-states|title=AP Style United States|website=Writing Explained|language=en-US|access-date=2019-02-20}}</ref>

The entry for "America" in ''[[The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage]]'' from 1999 reads:
{{blockquote|[the] terms "America", "American(s)" and "Americas" refer not only to the United States, but to all of North America and South America. They may be used in any of their senses, including references to just the United States, if the context is clear. The countries of the Western Hemisphere are collectively 'the Americas'.}}

Media releases from the [[Pope]] and [[Holy See]] frequently use "America" to refer to the United States, and "American" to denote something or someone from the United States.<ref>{{cite speech|url=https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/paul_vi/homilies/1965/documents/hf_p-vi_hom_19651004_yankee-stadium_en.html|title=Homily of the Holy Father Paul VI|location=Yankee Stadium, New York|date=October 4, 1965|author-link=Pope Paul VI|author=Pope Paul VI}}</ref>

===International law===
{{synthesis|date=October 2013}}
At least one international law uses ''U.S. citizen'' in defining a citizen of the United States rather than ''American citizen''; for example, the English version of the [[North American Free Trade Agreement]] includes:
{{blockquote|Only air carriers that are "citizens of the United States" may operate aircraft in domestic air service (cabotage) and may provide international scheduled and non-scheduled air service as U.S. air carriers...
Under the Federal Aviation Act of 1958, a "citizen of the United States" means:
:(a) an individual who is a U.S. citizen;
:(b) a partnership in which each member is a U.S. citizen; or
:(c) a U.S. corporation of which the president and at least two-thirds of the board of directors and other managing officers are U.S. citizens, and at least 75 percent of the voting interest in the corporation is owned or controlled by U.S. citizens.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.sice.oas.org/trade/nafta/anx1usa.asp | work = North American Free Trade Agreement | title = Annex I: Reservations for Existing Measures and Liberalization Commitments (Chapters 11, 12, and 14) | date = October 7, 1992 | access-date = October 27, 2013 | archive-date = October 29, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131029190838/http://www.sice.oas.org/trade/nafta/anx1usa.asp | url-status = live }}</ref>}}

Many international treaties use the terms ''American'' and ''American citizen'':
* 1796 – The treaty between the United States and the [[Dey]] of the Regency of [[Algiers]] on March 7, 1796, protected "American citizens".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/georgewashington/collection/pres_1796mar7.html|title=Treaty between US and the Dey and Regency of Algiers, March 7, 1796|work=Gilder Lehrman Collection Documents|publisher=PBS|access-date=August 24, 2017|archive-date=December 5, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141205044411/http://www.pbs.org/georgewashington/collection/pres_1796mar7.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
* 1806 – The [[Louisiana Purchase Treaty]] between [[France]] and United States referred to "American citizens".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/resources/archives/one/louispur.htm|title=The Louisiana Purchase Treaty|work=Archives of The West|publisher=PBS|access-date=August 24, 2017|archive-date=August 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170809002530/http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/resources/archives/one/louispur.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>
* 1825 – The treaty between the United States and the [[Cheyenne]] tribe refers to "American citizens".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.firstpeople.us/FP-Html-Treaties/TreatyWithTheCheyenneTribe1825.html|title=Treaty with The Cheyenne Tribe|date=July 6, 1825|access-date=August 4, 2009|archive-date=October 11, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091011144137/http://www.firstpeople.us/FP-Html-Treaties/TreatyWithTheCheyenneTribe1825.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* 1848 – The [[Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo]] between [[Mexico]] and the U.S. uses "American Government" to refer to the United States, and "American tribunals" to refer to U.S. courts.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.laprensa-sandiego.org/archieve/september21/treaty.htm|title=The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo|work=La Prensa|access-date=August 4, 2009|archive-date=March 15, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080315010004/http://www.laprensa-sandiego.org/archieve/september21/treaty.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>
* 1858 – The [[Treaty of Amity and Commerce (United States-Japan)|Treaty of Amity and Commerce]] between the United States and [[Japan]] protected "American citizens" and also used "American" in other contexts.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://core.ecu.edu/hist/tuckerjo/harris.html|title=The Treaty of Amity and Commerce Between the United States and Japan, 1858 (The Harris Treaty)|access-date=October 27, 2013|archive-date=October 29, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029190558/http://core.ecu.edu/hist/tuckerjo/harris.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* 1898 – The [[Treaty of Paris (1898)|Treaty of Paris]] ending the [[Spanish–American War]], known in Spanish as the {{lang|es|Guerra Hispano–Estadounidense}} ("Spain–United States War") uses "American" in reference to United States troops.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://avalon.law.yale.edu/19th_century/sp1898.asp|title=Treaty of Peace Between the United States and Spain; December 10, 1898|access-date=August 5, 2009|archive-date=July 8, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120708063629/http://avalon.law.yale.edu/19th_century/sp1898.asp|url-status=live}}</ref>
* 1966 – The [[Treaty of Amity and Economic Relations (Thailand–United States)|United States–Thailand Treaty of Amity]] protects "Americans" and "American corporations".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bia.co.th/006.html|title=The United States–Thailand Treaty of Amity|work=Thailand Business and Legal Guide|access-date=2013-10-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029192100/http://www.bia.co.th/006.html|archive-date=2013-10-29|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===U.S. commercial regulation===
Products that are labeled, advertised, and marketed in the U.S. as "[[Made in USA label|Made in the USA]]" must be, as set by the [[Federal Trade Commission]] (FTC), "all or virtually all made in the U.S." The FTC, to prevent deception of customers and unfair competition, considers an unqualified claim of "American Made" to expressly claim exclusive manufacture in the U.S: "The [[FTC Act]] gives the Commission the power to bring law enforcement actions against false or misleading claims that a product is of U.S. origin."<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/buspubs/madeusa.htm|title=Complying with the Made In the USA Standard|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060216200917/http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/buspubs/madeusa.htm|archive-date=February 16, 2006|publisher=Federal Trade Commission}}</ref>

==Alternatives==
{{Main|Demonyms for the United States}}
There are a number of alternatives to the [[demonym]] ''American'' as a citizen of the United States that do not simultaneously mean any inhabitant of the Americas. One uncommon alternative is ''[[Usonian]]'', which usually describes a certain style of residential [[architecture]] designed by [[Frank Lloyd Wright]]. Other alternatives have also surfaced, but most have fallen into disuse and obscurity. ''[[Merriam-Webster]]'s Dictionary of English Usage'' says:
{{blockquote|The list contains (in approximate historical order from 1789 to 1939) such terms as Columbian, Columbard, Fredonian, Frede, Unisian, United Statesian, Colonican, Appalacian, Usian, Washingtonian, Usonian, Uessian, U-S-ian, Uesican, United Stater.<ref>{{cite book|title=Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage|url=https://archive.org/details/merriamwebstersd00merr|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/merriamwebstersd00merr/page/88 88]|publisher=Merriam-Webster|year=1994|isbn=9780877791324}}</ref>}}
Nevertheless, no alternative to ''American'' is common.<ref name=Wilson/>

==See also==
{{Portal|North America|South America|Language|United States}}
* [[Americas (terminology)]]
* [[Hyphenated Americans]]
* [[Names of the United States]]
* [[Naming of the Americas]]
* [[Totum pro parte]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Works cited==
* {{cite book | url = https://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=58426145 | last = Allen | first = Irving L. | title = The Language of Ethnic Conflict: Social Organization and Lexical Culture | year = 1983 | publisher = Columbia University Press | location = New York | access-date = August 24, 2017 | archive-date = June 26, 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120626140450/http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=58426145 | url-status = dead }}
* {{cite book | last = Condon | first = J.C. | year = 1986 | editor-first =J.M.|editor-last=Valdes | title = Culture bound: Bridging the cultural gap in language teaching | url = https://archive.org/details/culturebound00joyc | url-access = registration | pages = [https://archive.org/details/culturebound00joyc/page/85 85–93] | location = Cambridge, UK | publisher = Cambridge University Press|chapter=...So near the United States|isbn=978-0-521-31045-1}}
* {{cite book | last = Herbst | first = Philip H. | title = Color of Words: An Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Ethnic Bias in the United States | year = 1997 | publisher = Intercultural Press | isbn = 1-877864-42-0 }}

==External links==
{{Wiktionary|American}}
* {{cite news | url = https://www.theguardian.com/Columnists/Column/0,,234240,00.html | title = The trouble with Americans | newspaper = [[The Guardian]] |date= September 7, 1998 | first = John | last = Ryle}}

[[Category:Culture of the United States]]
[[Category:English words]]
[[Category:Geographical naming disputes]]
[[Category:Definitions]]