1.a politically organized body of people under a single government;
the state has elected a new president
2.the people who live in a nation or country;
a statement that sums up the nation's mood
3.a federation of tribes (especially native American tribes);
the Shawnee nation
葛林费尔德曾经对“nation”这个英文字在语义学上的演变情形,提供了一个明晰而完整的说明。她将nation这个字在意义上的演变分成以下五个阶段︰⑴在罗马时代,nation指的是一群从同一个地域来的外国人(a group of foreigners)﹔⑵在中世纪的大学兴起以后,nation的意义变成了一个意见的社群(a community of opinion)﹔⑶接下来,nation的意义又和教会委员会(church council)的参与者有了连结关系,而有了精英份子(an elite