nationaladj.n.
/ˈnaʃn̩(ə)l/, /ˈnaʃən(ə)l/, /ˈnaʃn(ə)l/, U.S. /ˈnæʃən(ə)l/, /ˈnæʃn(ə)l/ A. adj.† 3.
1. † d. With capital initial: of or belonging to the French Government during the time of the First Republic (1792–1804). Obsolete. rare.
a. Of or relating to a nation or country, esp. as a whole; affecting or shared by a whole nation.Recorded earliest in national assembly n.
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the world > people > nations > [adjective] > national
ledelyc1275
ledishc1275
public1427
gentilea1522
national1591
gentilitious1632
gentilitian1645
gentilitial1650
gentilic1863
1591 Headis & Concl. Policie of Kirk in A. Peterkin Bk. Universall Kirk Scotl. (1839) 550 The nationall assemblie..may be callit the Generall Elderschip of the haill kirkis within the realme.
1597 J. Howson Serm. 24 Dec. 24 The Ciuill and Nationall lawes of anie Countrey.
1643 J. Caryl Nature Sacred Covenant 26 That which promotes personall holinesse, must needs promote Nationall holinesse.
1678 A. Marvell Acct. Growth Popery (new ed.) 39 This was a National Business if ever any were.
1701 Cramond Kirk Session IV. 14 Nov. Conforme to the rules of disciplin of this nationall church.
1743 Visct. Bolingbroke Remarks Hist. Eng. ii. 28 A Spirit of Liberty will be always and wholly concern'd about national Interests.
1790 E. Burke Refl. Revol. in France 38 The spirit of caution which predominated in the national councils. View more context for this quotation
1830 G. Croly George IV 378 They saw nothing in the most gallant successes, but a waste of national blood.
1871 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest IV. xvii. 71 In the end national unity and national freedom appeared again in more perfect shapes.
1914 G. B. Shaw Dark Lady of Sonnets Pref. in Misalliance 132 The very stupid people who cannot see that a National Theatre is worth having for the sake of the National Soul.
c1935 E. E. Cummings Let. 7 Jan. (1969) 134 Here lies a national hero (Who governed by fits and by starts).
1966 D. G. Tacheron & M. K. Udall Job of Congressman vii. 198 And then, you see, some of your friends back home say, ‘Why, he is becoming a national figure.’
2001 C. Freeland But is it Art? iii. 83 The threat extended beyond national boundaries and constitutions.
b. Officially recognized or sanctioned by the government of a nation; controlled or endorsed by the state.
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1654 Weekly Intelligencer 27 Dec. 108 Take heed of protecting the carnal, national [i.e. state-appointed], antichristian Clergy (though they come in the name of Orthodox, or learned, for so did the Scribes and Pharisees.).
1821 J. Q. Adams in C. Davies Metric Syst. (1871) iii. 278 To require, under suitable sanctions that all the weights and measures..should be conformable to the national standards.
1830 S. Breck Recollections (1877) 91 On the Fourth, being a national holiday, there was a great parade on the Common.
1918 Quick March Apr. 37 Anzac Day is now a New Zealand Day, a National Day.
1925 Amer. Mercury Aug. 425/1 The Mexicans..began their celebration of the national holiday with a big baile on the night of the third.
1951 L. Hagen Follow my Leader vii. 266 Our compatriots..clung to their German ways and..flew the swastika on our national holidays.
1993 New Scientist 20 Mar. 12/3 If an entity such as a state or a pueblo wishes to adopt standards that are stricter than national standards, we cannot stop them.
2000 Daily Tel. 1 Dec. 2/4 Scotland's National Day is the traditional time for announcing new Knights of the Thistle.
c. Of a military force, etc.: belonging to a particular nation; maintained (whether at national or local level) by a particular nation. Occasionally also: designating troops born in the nation of their army, as opposed to foreign-born mercenaries, etc. (see quot. 1802).
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society > armed hostility > armed forces > [adjective] > national
national1741
1741 Gentleman's Mag. May 237/2 Our greatest Number of National Troops, in the last war, was but 67000 men.
1788 A. Hamilton in Federalist Papers xxiv. 149 To the powers proposed to be conferred upon the federal government, in respect to the creation and direction of the national forces—I have met with one specific objection.
1802 C. James New Mil. Dict. National troops, are those born in our own dominions, in opposition to foreigners.
1843 G. Borrow Bible in Spain II. xviii. 372 The bookseller..was an officer in the national cavalry.
1876 G. E. Voyle & G. de Saint-Clair-Stevenson Mil. Dict. (ed. 3) 269/1 The national defences of a country consist, besides her armies and reserves, of the navy [etc.].
1910 Encycl. Brit. I. 845/2 Congress did indeed issue letters of marque and reprisal, and efforts were made to fit out a national force.
1964 Time 4 Dec. 21/1 In Europe, U.S. diplomats are still trying to promote a multilateral nuclear fleet (MLF) as an alternative to proliferating national forces.
1992 Economist 7 Mar. 60/3 There is talk of setting up a national army later this year, and asking ethnic Kazakhs serving elsewhere in the Commonwealth to return.
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society > authority > rule or government > a or the system of government > specific regimes > [adjective] > relating to specific regime in France
national1793
1793 Ld. Nelson in Dispatches & Lett. (1845) I. 308 We..have taken nothing but a miserable National brig of eight guns.
1837 T. Carlyle French Revol. III. vi. i. 347 Most chopfallen, blue, enters the National Agent this Limbo whither he has sent so many.
e. Available, existing, or active throughout the nation; nationwide; distributed nationally.
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society > communication > broadcasting > radio broadcasting > [adjective] > specific service
national1935
incremental1988
?a1847 W. E. Forster in T. W. Reid Life W. E. Forster (1888) I. 186 To make their movement a national one.
1899 Daily News 8 Apr. 8/6 The National Cyclists' Union..forbade all riders holding its licenses..to attempt a paced ride of any description on the road.
1934 D. Thomas Let. 13 May (1987) 133 And why should this experimentalist be given so many lines in a national newspaper?
1935 Motion Picture Nov. 29/2 If you live within range of a national radio network, you've thrilled to their voices.
1975 T. Allbeury Special Coll. xii. 85 The scene..made the front page of every national newspaper the next morning.
1992 Globe & Mail (Toronto) 20 Oct. a2/3 National ads must appeal to a diverse segment of the population with differing opinions and beefs.
f. In the United Kingdom during the Second World War (1939–45): designating a foodstuff made to official specifications for nationwide distribution. Now historical.
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the world > food and drink > food > qualities of food > [adjective] > national specification
national1940
1940 Hansard Commons 25 Jan. 810/2 All butter sold by the Ministry of Food is..described as ‘National Butter’.
1941 Lancet 15 Nov. 605/1 When the Medical Research Council drew up its second memorandum on national flour in the spring of 1941 it offered the nation something new.
1945 ABC of Cookery (Ministry of Food) xix. 69 The best foods for iron are liver, eggs,..national or wholemeal bread and oatmeal.
1956 W. Thompson Time off my Life xix. 146 I couldn't stand the stuff they called ‘national loaf’ in the war.
1976 J. Yudkin This Nutrition Business vi. 55 Many nutritionists have never been convinced of the need to add calcium even when we were eating ‘National Bread’.
g. Originally and chiefly British. Relating to or designating a long-distance telephone call made to a number within the same country. Chiefly in national call, national rate. Cf. local call n. at local adj. and n. Compounds.
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society > communication > telecommunication > telegraphy or telephony > telephony > [adjective] > type of call
long distance1826
reverse charge1908
collect1912
person-to-person1919
toll-free1970
national1984
1984 Times 6 Oct. 3/1 Telephone users will get between 20 per cent and 25 per cent more time on peak and standard rate national calls to distances over 56 kilometres.
1991 Financial Times (Nexis) 25 Feb. 16 Many UK national telephone calls are up to 26 per cent cheaper on its system.
1999 Which? June 11/3 We show the helpline hours during which you can get technical help and their call charge rates—whether free, local rate, national rate, premium rate or standard (ie. a normal phone number).
2002 New Straits Times (Malaysia) (Nexis) 25 Nov. 15 A telecommunications company that promoted a scheme for fixed telephone lines, offering discounts of up to 60 per cent for local and national calls.
2. Of or relating to a particular nation or country, as opposed to another or others.
a. Of a quality, attribute, etc.: identified with the people of a particular country or nation; distinctive or characteristic of a nation. †Formerly also in predicative use with unto (obsolete).
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the world > people > nations > [adjective] > characteristic of nation
national1625
racy of the soil1656
society > society and the community > social attitudes > public-spiritedness > [adjective]
public1607
national1625
public-spirited1646
civic-minded1907
concerned1961
1625 N. Carpenter Geogr. Delineated ii. xiv. 219 Who obserues not in all Nations certaine naturall or nationall vertues or vices.
1646 Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica iv. x. 201 That an unsavoury odour is gentilitious or nationall unto the Jews..we cannot well concede. View more context for this quotation
1650 J. Bulwer Anthropometamorphosis 81 In Perviana also, a great Nose is in request and National.
1710 Ld. Shaftesbury Soliloquy 113 The Gladiatorian, and other sanguinary Sports, which we allow our People, sufficiently discover what our National Taste is.
1796 H. Hunter tr. J.-H. B. de Saint-Pierre Stud. Nature (1799) III. 236 They abjured the national prejudices which had rendered them..the enemies of other men.
1840 R. H. Dana Two Years before Mast xxv. 164 Hydrophobia ia a national malady, and shows itself in their persons as well as their actions.
1883 Harper's Mag. June 123/1 It is a national fault of our American dietary that we do not eat enough soup.
1944 J. S. Huxley On Living in Revol. xiv. 171 Well-marked differences of ‘national type’ are recognized in popular judgment.
1994 Sunday Tel. 15 June (Rx Mag.) 6 Our national tendency to snigger at the mention of the word massage.
b. Of a work of art, a symbol, distinctive food or dress, etc.: expressive of the culture or tradition of a particular nation.Usually of something regarded by the nation itself as positively distinctive or characteristic, and sometimes officially adopted as such.
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1656 R. Short Περι Ψυχροποσιας 68 Why then should we..change our national drink for water?
1777 H. Mackenzie Julia de Roubigné II. xxv. 105 I am delighted with those ancient national songs.
1806 Lady Morgan Wild Irish Girl I. iv. 114 An inquisitorial persecution had been carried on against the national costume.
1858 F. M. Müller German Classics Pref. p. xxxiv Truly national poetry exists only where there is a truly national life.
1875 D. Leslie Among Zulus & Amatongas 92 This is the national song of the Zulus.
1912 ‘R. Connor’ Corporal Cameron 229 The Red Ensign of the Empire, which..by common usage had become the national flag of Canada.
1936 Discovery Mar. 91/2 The [Greenland] bride was resplendent in her handsome national dress.
1964 I. Fleming You only live Twice xxii. 253 A highly spiced dish of sukiyaki, the national dish of beef stew.
1999 Daily Tel. 12 Feb. 13/6 The blue crane—South Africa's national bird—is reduced to a population of 20,000.
a. Belonging to the same nation as oneself. Obsolete. rare.
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the world > people > nations > compatriots > [adjective]
national1632
compatriot1744
compatriotic1803
synethnic1879
1632 W. Lithgow Totall Disc. Trav. i. 20 In these parts a man can finde no worser enimie than his nationall supposed friend.
b. Gentile. See nation n.1 2a. Obsolete. rare.
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society > faith > aspects of faith > theism > paganism > [adjective]
heathenishc893
heathen971
misbelievedc1225
Barbarya1300
payenc1300
miscreantc1330
paynimc1330
uncircumcideda1382
uncircumciseda1400
gentilec1400
heathenly1415
paganismc1425
profanec1450
pagan1464
ethnical?a1475
payemec1480
miscredentc1500
heathenish1535
whorish1535
ethnic1542
ethnish1542
idolous1546
mammetrous1546
gentilish1550
idolatrous?1550
idololatrical1550
infidel1551
idolatrical1556
gentilical1573
paganical?1573
idolish1577
heatheny1580
irreligious1585
paganish1589
gentilic1603
idolaster1608
gentilitious1613
heathenous1613
idolatrizing1614
image-worshipping1621
misreligious1623
Mahounda1625
gentilizing1637
idololatrousa1641
infidelious1648
Baalitical1652
national1661
idolatric1669
paganic1676
gentilized1684
Baalish1690
idololatrica1711
infidelical1802
semi-fidel1834
Greekish1851
paganistic1853
unselect1882
goyish1888
1661 Pagitt's Heresiogr. (ed. 6) 180 A National Saint, or a Saint of the Gentiles.
4. † b. = national-minded adj. at Compounds. Obsolete. rare.
a. Patriotic; strongly upholding one's own nation; nationalistic. Now rare.
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society > society and the community > social attitudes > patriotism > [adjective]
patriotical1648
patriot1649
nationalc1686
patriotly1691
patriotic1737
unhyphenated1970
c1686 R. Law Memorialls (1818) 65 [Lauderdale] was a man very national, and truely the honour of our Scots nation for witt and parts.
1711 Fingall MSS in 10th Rep. Royal Comm. Hist. MSS (1885) App. v. 159 It showes in them an ingratitude to so national a man.
1797 A. M. Bennett Beggar Girl II. xiii. 243 The fine old palace, the chamber,..were..severally explained by the national Major.
1810 S. Green Reformist I. 243 Amongst other prejudices natural to a national Scotchman, he bore an inveterate hatred to the Irish.
1871 Daily News 7 Sept. He is intensely national... He believes that the Scots are the finest race in the world.
1914 G. Fitzmaurice Moonlighter in Five Plays 67 'Twouldn't do that Eugene is turning national himself.
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1801 J. Adams Wks. (1854) IX. 585 Too strongly infected with the spirit of party, to give much encouragement to men who are merely national.
c. Designating any of various political parties or groups, typically claiming adherence to, support for, or identification with the national interest; of, for, or representing such a party.In the names of certain political groups, national may indicate that a movement is active nationwide (cf. sense A. 1e), rather than that its policies are distinctively nationalistic.
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society > authority > rule or government > politics > party politics > a party > [adjective] > types of party generally
patrician1813
national1828
progressive1830
progressist1843
conservative1845
republican1873
nationalist1884
mobilist1966
green1973
1828 Addr. to Electors of Middlesex County (Connecticut) 6/2 [Signed by] Committee on behalf of the National Republicans of the town of Middletown.
1876 N.Y. Tribune 18 May 1/1 Two National and five State Conventions were held yesterday, namely: Those of the National Greenback and Prohibition parties [etc.].
1938 H. Nicolson Diary 1 Oct. (1966) 373 I have to speak at a luncheon of the local National Labour Group.
1953 Jrnl. Polynesian Soc. Sept. 43 National party candidates in more than half the electorates obtained more than the average National vote.
1958 Economist 15 Nov. 612/1 The aim in most constituencies..is to gain first place among ‘national’ (that is, non-communist) candidates.
1973 W. Z. Laqueur Dict. Politics (rev. ed.) 344 At the general election in Oct. 1931 the National Government (predominantly the Conservatives with National Labour and National Liberal) won over 60% of the vote.
1991 German Hist. 9 295 If there was a relationship between Hansemann and National Liberalism, it did not follow such a direct course.
B. n.† 1. A member or representative of a particular nation. Obsolete. rare.† 3. A member of a national guard. Obsolete.
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society > faith > church government > member of the clergy > clerical superior > cardinal > [noun]
cardinallOE
redcap?1539
carnalc1540
prince1581
red hat1598
purple father1615
national1625
eminence1653
eminency1670
nationist1670
redshank1824
1625 S. Purchas Pilgrimes I. iv. 362 The Flemmings by their force ouer-awed the nationals.
1653 H. Cogan tr. N. N. Scarlet Gown 100 The Pope..did at one and the same time promote both Mazzarino, and Montalto, as declared Nationals [It. nationali], and nominated by France and Spain.
2. † a. A supporter of national as opposed to party interests. Obsolete. rare.
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society > society and the community > social attitudes > public-spiritedness > [noun] > person
commonwealth man1556
commonweal man1587
wealsmana1616
republican1691
national1766
1766 Public Advertiser 10 Feb. 2/2 A noble Union of..Nationals in the true Sense of that Word, in contradistinction to any vile Combination of Party.
1768 Woman of Honor III. 150 Some truly nationals, men of real worth.
b. Usually with capital initial. A person who supports or represents a political group with a name incorporating ‘national’ (sometimes one advocating nationalism); spec. a member of a National Government or Party (see sense A. 4c).
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society > authority > rule or government > politics > party politics > a party > [noun] > types of party generally (in various countries) > members of
national1792
social democrat1848
Labourist1884
Labourite1887
progressist1890
progressive1892
greens1978
1792 E. Wynne Diary 3 Aug. (1952) ix. 122 They cryed, they cursed the Nationals.
1853 N.Y. Tribune 2 Apr. One favors the Execution of the Fugitive Slave Law and goes for distribution of the offices among the Nationals.
1939 G. B. Shaw Geneva i. 10 He got a clear majority over the Nationals and the Labor Party.
1965 A. J. P. Taylor Eng. Hist. 1914–45 x. 326 The Conservatives..and Liberal Nationals..received slightly over 60 per cent. of the vote.
2000 Land (N. Richmond, New S. Wales) 1 June 13/2 Souris..is doing nothing to help the Nationals maintain a separate rural-flavoured identity.
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society > armed hostility > warrior > soldier > soldier by branch of army > [noun] > member of national or municipal guard
halberdier1517
partisan1649
stationary1698
milicien1760
gendarme1796
municipal1837
national1843
carabiniere1847
Pasdaran1979
Pasdar1980
1843 G. Borrow Bible in Spain I. x. 200 The national entered with the passport in his hand.
1848 A. H. Clough Let. 26 Feb. in J. Bertram N.Z. Lett. of T. Arnold (1966) 75 The hall filled with Nationals and hommes du peuple... The question is: Will the army and nationals rally around this government..?
4. A citizen or subject of a (usually specified) state; a person whom a state is entitled under international law to protect in its relations with other states. Cf. foreign national n. at foreign adj., n.2, and adv. Compounds 2.In early use chiefly in diplomatic contexts.
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society > law > legal right > right of specific class, person, or place > [noun] > status or rights of being a citizen > one possessing
citizena1325
commoner1384
citinerc1450
free burgher1624
citoyen?1793
national1845
1845 C. White Three Years in Constantinople I. v. 134 They issued permanent berats or protections to natives, whereby the latter were placed upon the same footing as foreign nationals.
1887 Pall Mall Gaz. 30 May 1 Each of these Consuls or Ministers has extensive powers over his own nationals.
1894 Westm. Gaz. 31 July 2/1 The Chinese Resident..has a considerable number of his nationals to look after.
1904 J. Westlake Treat. Private Internat. Law I. 3 All the members of a state, whether sovereign, subjects or citizens, are denoted by the convenient name of its nationals.
1955 Times 3 June 6/2 The two Governments have agreed to take measures for the conclusion of a treaty..with regard to the repatriation of nationals of one contracting party residing in the territory of the other party.
2000 T. Clancy Bear & Dragon xlii. 635 There was no telling how many people delivered messages to the dead-drop, and they probably weren't all Chinese nationals.
5. = Grand National n. at grand adj., n., and adv. Compounds 2.
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society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > racing or race > horse racing > [noun] > specific races
St. Leger1778
the Oaks1779
Goodwood Cup1829
Leger1832
Cesarewitch1839
Cambridgeshire handicap1840
Grand Prix de Paris1862
Grand National1863
classic1899
national1909
1909 Westm. Gaz. 26 Mar. 12/1 A horse that had never run a National.
1972 L. P. Davies What did I do Tomorrow? ii. 26 The only time he backed horses was for the Derby or the National.
1987 Racing Monthly Apr. 36/1 For the steeplechase follower, the coming of spring has had, for nearly 150 years, just one glorious highlight—The National!
6. = National Programme n. at Compounds. Now historical.
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society > communication > broadcasting > radio broadcasting > [noun] > radio service > specific
Radio 1, 2, 3, 4, 51920
2LO1923
National Programme1930
regional1930
national1931
Home Programme1939
home service1939
World Service1939
Light Programme1945
Third Programme1946
home1947
light1948
VOA1949
national service1956
1931 Daily Express 22 Sept. 13/3 Tonight..on the National begin..the new poetry readings.
1985 D. Gifford Golden Age Radio 188/1 The first item to be heard on the National was the Bach Cantata No. 8.
7. An organization, institution, etc., which is national rather than local or regional.
a. A national championship or competition. Chiefly in plural.
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the world > people > nations > compatriots > [noun]
ledesOE
countryfolkc1325
natives1589
country people1794
national1937
1937 Life 13 Sept. 65/2 Johnny Goodman began getting too good for many a crack golfer in 1929 when he put Bobby Jones out of the Nationals in the first day of match play.
1971 Rand Daily Mail (Johannesburg) 27 Mar. 23/9 He has entered for the 5000 metres..in the nationals.
1998 Yachts & Yachting 21 Aug. 17/2 Then back to Britain to prepare for Kiel Week, followed by a week's training in Italy, the Europeans in Helsinki, the nationals at Weymouth, [etc.].
b. A newspaper which has a national circulation.
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society > communication > journalism > journal > newspaper > [noun] > national
national1938
1938 C. Hunt You want to be Journalist? iii. 29 It is when staff increase—on county papers, dailies published from the great cities, London nationals—that specialisation develops.
1973 J. Porter It's Murder with Dover iv. 36 We'll make the front page of the nationals with this!
1988 Independent 19 Dec. 14/2 The advantages of sharing data files..were..not as striking in a country less accustomed to the idea of a standard set of ‘nationals’ forming the basis of any newspaper archive.
c. An organization or business which operates on a national (as opposed to a regional or local) scale.
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1960 F. V. Meyer Seven iii. 50 Free trade between the citizens of these states gives regionals the same economic opportunities as nationals enjoy.
1984 Times 18 June 17/4 Regionals' profits have begun to trail the nationals.
1992 Utne Reader July 105/2 While the ‘nationals’, as they are known, can take credit for many of this century's environmental accomplishments, they must also share the blame for the troubling setbacks.
8. New Zealand. Usually without article. The New Zealand National Party.
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society > authority > rule or government > politics > other national politics > [noun] > specific New Zealand principles, parties, or partisans
Red Fed1912
Red-Fedism1917
national1938
Nat1939
Socred1975
Rogernomics1985
Social Credit League1986
1938 Dominion (Wellington, N.Z.) 10 Oct. 8 (advt.) Will she have to pay poll tax? Under Labour..Yes! Boys and girls will have to pay... Under National..No! No boy or girl under 20 will pay Poll Tax or Wage Tax... Vote National.
1958 Polit. Sci. (Wellington, N.Z.) 10 ii. 23 The issue, as he defined it in each peroration, was simple: Socialism and restrictions and controls, or National and prosperity and a property-owning democracy.
1977 N.Z. Herald 8 Jan. i. 6/4 In spite of all the pre-election talk about National's experience and expertise, New Zealand was in many respects in a worse position now than it was during Labour's period of office.
2001 N.Z. Herald (Electronic ed.) 8 Mar. National will select a candidate to contest Peter Dunne's Ohariu-Belmont seat in next year's election but will be ready to withdraw if Labour appears to have a chance to win it.
9. British. The Royal National Theatre of Great Britain.The theatre was founded in 1951, and its company established in 1963. The present South Bank theatre complex in London was opened in 1976. Until 1988 known as the British National Theatre.
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society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > the theatre or the stage > a theatre > [noun] > specific theatre
nursery1664
Vic1859
pav1864
pavvy1899
national1972
1972 Listener 18 May 644/3 Until the coming of the National, the British theatre had survived..without the alien office of dramaturgs.
1974 Country Life 24 Jan. 125 The National has been running successfully for ten years and plays generally to good houses.
2000 Times 30 Aug. ii. 21/1 The pair worked well at the National last year on Money and Candide.
Compounds
National Assistance n. now historical (in the United Kingdom) a form of welfare payment combining Unemployment Assistance and Public Assistance, introduced in 1948 (replaced in 1966 by the Supplementary Benefits).
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society > trade and finance > fees and taxes > grants and allowances > [adjective] > types of state allowance
supplementary1864
National Assistance1948
social securitya1974
society > trade and finance > fees and taxes > grants and allowances > [noun] > state allowance > other state benefits
maternity benefit1911
universal basic income1935
constant attendance allowance1945
death grant1946
National Assistance1948
negative income tax1950
assistance1956
supplementary benefit1966
attendance allowance1969
income support1969
mobility allowance1974
UBI1993
1948 Act 11 & 12 Geo. VI c. 29 §2 (title) National assistance act, 1948.
1958 New Statesman 27 Sept. 398/3 National Assistance methods..must sometimes seem designed to assist such a man back into prison in the shortest possible time.
1973 Observer 19 Aug. (Colour Suppl.) 26/2 In 1960 about 11 per cent of the population..were living below the poverty line, defined as basic National Assistance rates plus 40 per cent.
1993 Jrnl. Negro Hist. 78 100 There was a concern that black immigrants were coming to the country merely to receive the benefits from the National Assistance and National Insurance schemes.
National Assistance Board n. now historical the board which administered National Assistance in the United Kingdom from 1948 to 1966.
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society > society and the community > social attitudes > philanthropy > [noun] > social service provided by (local) government > centre or department > specific
U.A.B.1937
National Assistance Board1948
NAB1953
Big Mac1975
1948 Act 11 & 12 Geo. VI c. 29 §2 The National Assistance Board (hereafter in this Act referred to as ‘the Board’) shall exercise their functions in such manner as shall best promote the welfare of persons affected by the exercise thereof.
1968 J. Lock Lady Policeman xviii. 152 The National Assistance Board telephoned.
1993 Jrnl. Negro Hist. 78 100 In 1950 the National Assistance Board reported that the number of blacks receiving weekly benefits was small in comparison to the amount spent on a single payment to a white worker.
National Audit Office n. (in the United Kingdom) an independent agency responsible for certifying government accounts and reporting to parliament on the efficiency of public spending; abbreviated NAO.
ΚΠ
1983 Whitaker's Almanack 393/1 Under the National Audit Act 1983 c.44, which comes into force on 1 January 1984, the Exchequer and Audit Department will be replaced by the National Audit Office.
1993 Economist 7 Aug. 32/3 The National Audit Office..make[s] Butleresque evasion far harder.
2001 Sunday Mail (Glasgow) (Electronic ed.) 27 May A recent report by the National Audit Office says the extra physical activity involved in daily living 50 years ago compared with today adds up to the equivalent of running a marathon every week.
national character n. personality or cultural characteristics which are taken to be peculiar to or particularly characteristic of a certain nation or racial group.
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the world > people > nations > [noun] > national quality or character
nationality1691
national character1730
national characteristic1790
1730 G. Odingsells Bays's Opera ii. i. 21 I have labour'd this, and drawn it for the Standard of Wit, Judgment, and Politeness. I may call it a National Character, for I'll assure you, I drew it from the best Originals.
1775 C. Johnston Pilgrim 126 To account for some tracts in their national character.
1863 Home & Foreign Rev. 3 549 Next to those who form the national taste and fix the national character, the greatest geniuses are those who corrupt them.
1997 T. Hughes Tales from Ovid 231 The lust that took hold of him now Combined the elemental forces Of his national character and his own.
national characteristic n. a personality trait or cultural characteristic taken as contributing to the national character of a particular country.
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the world > people > nations > [noun] > national quality or character
nationality1691
national character1730
national characteristic1790
1790 A. Young Jrnl. 18 Jan. in Trav. France (1792) i. 279 Volatility and changeableness are attributed to the French as national characteristicks.
1898 Q. Jrnl. Econ. 13 90 That inventive mechanical ingenuity which, manifesting itself as it does in a multiplicity of inventions, he is pleased to consider a noteworthy national characteristic of Americans.
1995 Guardian 6 Apr. ii. 8/4 What's great about getting involved with someone from another country is that when we act assholish, they don't get upset at all. They just assume it's some national characteristic.
National Defence Contribution n. Economics (now historical) a tax levied to supplement military and defence spending; (British History) a tax on corporate profits introduced in 1937 to supplement the defence budget; abbreviated N.D.C.
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1923 H. G. Moulton & C. E. McGuire Germany's Capacity to Pay v. 152 Prior to the Great War the imperial German government had levied only one direct tax—that in the National Defence Contribution Act (Wehrbeitragsgesetz) of July 3, 1913. It was a capital tax and an income tax combined.
1937 N. Chamberlain in Hansard Commons 20 Apr. 1616 I propose that the National Defence Contribution shall be payable in respect of the growth of profit by all persons engaged in industries, trade, or business of any kind whose profits..exceed £2,000.
1999 J. McAleer Passion's Fortune iii. 76 The build-up to the Second World War, and wartime itself, effectively stopped Mills and Boon's growth. The first payment of National Defence Contribution (1937), amounting to over £500, depressed profits.
national epic n. an imaginative work, especially a literary one, considered to embody a nation's conception of its own history, or the most significant events in that history.
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society > leisure > the arts > literature > a written composition > [noun] > other spec.
defence1546
paradox1594
secret history1650
pentaglot1727
morceau1748
murdering piece1797
pièce de circonstance1830
national epic1841
scholarly edition1850
cantefable1903
chantefable1937
1841 T. Carlyle On Heroes iii. 177 Schlegel has a remark on his Historical Plays, Henry Fifth and the others, which is worth remembering. He calls them a kind of National Epic.
1908 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 12 Sept. 759/1 Camoens, the author of the Lusiad, the national epic of Portugal, met the fate that has so often befallen genius.
1968 P. B. Austin On being Swedish xx. 142 The Swedes..have come to accept the Saga as their national epic.
2002 NFT Programme Booklet Nov. 21 This unlikely co-production [I am Cuba, USSR-Cuba, dir. M. Kalatozov (1964)] manages to be both a national epic and a true totem of 60s style.
national football n. Australian = Australian rules n. at Australian n. and adj. Compounds.
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society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > football > Australian football > [noun]
football1859
footy1900
Aussie rules1918
Australian rules1925
Australian National Football1927
national football1958
1958 Austral. Encycl. IV. 134/2 Generally, it [sc. Australian football] is known as the Australian Game, National Football, or Australian Rules.
national forest n. a forest managed by (an agency of) the national government; spec. (U.S.) a tract of forest set aside for conservation and public use (until 1907 officially called a forest reserve).
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the world > the earth > land > landscape > fertile land or place > land with vegetation > [noun] > wooded land > types of
ripplelOE
wildwooda1122
rough1332
firth?a1400
tod stripec1446
osiard1509
bush1523
bush-ground1523
fritha1552
island1638
oak landc1658
pinelandc1658
piney wood1666
broom-land1707
pine barrenc1721
pine savannah1735
savannah1735
thick woods1754
scrub-land1779
olive wood1783
primeval forest1789
open wood1790
strong woods1792
scrub1805
oak flata1816
sertão1816
sprout-land1824
flatwoods1841
bush-land1842
tall timber1845
amber forest1846
caatinga1846
mahogany scrub1846
bush-flat1847
myall country1847
national forest1848
selva1849
monte1851
virgin forest1851
bush-country1855
savannah forest1874
bush-range1879
bushveld1879
protection forest1889
mulga1896
wood-bush1896
shinnery1901
fringing forest1903
monsoon forest1903
rainforest1903
savannah woodland1903
thorn forest1903
tropical rainforest1903
gallery forest1920
cloud forest1922
rain jungle1945
mato1968
1848 Littell's Living Age 24 June 615 A superintendent of one of the national forests calculates a profit..of three hundred francs, from the toil of a certain number of hands assigned to him.
1900 Science 29 June 1034/2 The graduates of the College of Forestry are the men who will be called to the management of the National Forest reservations.
1907 Science 12 July 58/1 The elevation..within the Lassen Peak National Forest, known as ‘Cinder Cone’.
1997 J. Hatfield & G. Burt Unauthorized X-Cycl. 224 The remote Olympic National Forest in northwest Washington State.
national game n. a sport regarded as the most popular or the most widely played in a given country; a sport originating in and hence associated with a given country.
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1828 Oscotian (ed. 2) I. 35 The day or two previous..gave employment for our youth, in adjusting the arrangements, necessary for the noble and national game, of Cricket.
1889 United Service Apr. 399 In the evening the men may be seen indulging in the favorite national game of base-ball.
1930 L. W. Lower Here's Luck 70 He had a small piece of wood in his hand, on which were balanced two pennies. The national game was in progress.
1996 D. Brimson & E. Brimson Everywhere we Go xii. 172 Those who run our national game have failed to address this problem of rising prices.
National Government n. (a) a coalition government, esp. one in which party differences are subordinated to the national interest in a time of crisis; spec. the U.K. coalition government under Ramsay MacDonald between 1931 and 1935; (b) a government free from external domination (see quot. 1943).
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society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > a or the government > [noun] > an autonomous government
National Government1931
society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > a or the government > [noun] > a coalition government
coalition government1819
National Government1931
1931 C. Wigram Let. 11 July in H. Nicolson George V xxvi. 449 It is quite possible that Your Majesty might be asked to approve of a National Government.
1936 J. A. Spender Great Brit. IV. xliii. 512 National Government [in 1915] was the logical corollary of the party-truce.
1943 Ann. Reg. 1942 143 With the security of India threatened, we..should bring her people into full moral support..by conceding forthwith the demands for a ‘National Government’, with virtual independence of British authority.
1986 M. Foot Loyalists & Loners 166 It remains true that the ‘National’ Government of the subsequent decade was the worst in modern British history.
national heritage n. items of esp. historical or cultural significance handed down from generation to generation of a nation as a whole; frequently (esp. with capital initials) as part of the name of a body set up to manage or fund the preservation of historic buildings, landscapes, etc., within a particular country.
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1840 U.S. Mag. & Democratic Rev. July 30 The responsibility of this Union to itself, to posterity, in the management and disposition of this rich national heritage [sc. land purchased from the North American Indians], is great indeed.
1888 Polit. Sci. Q. 3 137 Except in those parts of the country [sc. the United States] where it is not a national heritage..the English common law, in the absence of opposing statutes, is the law of the land.
1979 (title) A National Heritage Fund. Presented to Parliament by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury.
1996 Independent 15 Jan. 6/3 Mr Magnusson launches his ‘Concordat on Access’ this week in his role as founding chairman of Scottish National Heritage.
National Hunt n. = National Hunt Committee n.; frequently attributive with reference to horse racing under the rules of the National Hunt Committee.
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society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > racing or race > horse racing > people involved in horse racing > [noun] > officials
jockey club1775
clerk of the course1829
National Hunt1866
National Hunt Committee1873
clocker1895
stipe1922
outrider1947
1866 C. Weatherby et al. Racing Calendar for 1866: Races Past p. vi Advertisements and reports of Steeple Chases under the Grand National Hunt Rules are included in the Sheet Calendar.
1898 A. E. T. Watson Turf ix. 173 Failures under Jockey Club Rules were brilliant successes under the Rules of the National Hunt.
1935 Encycl. Sports, Games & Pastimes 590/1 National Hunt Rules fix the opening of the steeplechasing season as July 1.
1999 Odds On Feb. 48/2 This is far more important among older horses on the Flat than under National Hunt rules.
National Hunt Committee n. the body which controls steeplechasing and hurdle-racing in Great Britain (established in 1863 as the Grand National Hunt Steeplechase Committee and merged in 1968 with the Jockey Club); (also) the equivalent organization in the Republic of Ireland.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > racing or race > horse racing > people involved in horse racing > [noun] > officials
jockey club1775
clerk of the course1829
National Hunt1866
National Hunt Committee1873
clocker1895
stipe1922
outrider1947
1873 C. Weatherby et al. Racing Calendar, Steeple Chases Past, for Season 1872–3 p. xiii Any person running a horse in contravention of this Rule shall (at the discretion of the Grand National Hunt Committee) be disqualified from ever running a horse where these rules are in force.
1873 C. Weatherby et al. Racing Calendar, Steeple Chases Past, for Season 1872–3 p. xxv The following form of certificate is that approved by the National Hunt Committee.
1902 Encycl. Brit. XXIX. 333/1 None other than thoroughbred horses are nowadays ever found in races run under the rules of the National Hunt Committee, the body which governs the sport of steeplechasing.
1967 Everyman's Encycl. VI. 482/2 In 1866, as a result of the efforts of Lord Suffolk, Lord Coventry and the duke of Beaufort, the National Hunt Committee was formed as the authoritative governing body over steeplechasing.
2000 Racing Post (Nexis) 19 Dec. 6 Major Val Gorton [was] the Jockey Club's first senior course inspector following its amalgamation with the National Hunt Committee in 1969.
national identity n. a sense of a nation as a cohesive whole, as represented by (the maintenance of) distinctive traditions, culture, linguistic or political features, etc.
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1823 N. Amer. Rev. Jan. 39 What is it we would preserve? Their [sc. the American Indians'] languages? that first great bond and symbol of national identity..?
1916 Amer. Hist. Rev. 21 232 The settlement within its borders of German Franks and Scandinavian Northmen had not affected the national identity of the people of France.
2000 C. Brunsdon Feminist, Housewife & Soap Opera ii. 40 Work such as that of Thomas Tufte provides new empirical analysis of the role of telenovelas in articulating the hybridity of Brazilian national identity.
national language n. a language spoken by a large proportion of the inhabitants of a nation; an official language in a particular nation, typically recognized and adopted by government or in legislature.
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1791 W. Bartram Trav. N. & S. Carolina 465 The Muscogulgee tongue being now the national or sovereign language, the Chickasaws, Chactaws..being dialects of the Muscogulge.
1863 Proc. Royal Soc. 1862–3 12 p. xvii He maintained that all the elements which are really beneficial in nationality are directly at variance with the French idea of civilization—that with national language, national institutions, and national religion it cannot amalgamate.
1920 Contemp. Rev. Aug. 210 Freed from Turkish prohibition,..the cult of the national language became almost a religion to the Albanians.
1992 RTZ Rev. Mar. 13/2 An essential link in the foundation's network of activities is the newly-adopted national language of English, which many Namibians are keen to learn.
national lottery n. a nationwide lottery, esp. one endorsed or controlled by the state, in which the state typically receives part of the proceeds; spec. (in form National Lottery) that run in the United Kingdom since 1994.
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1927 H. Kemp Bronze Treasury 12 The chances for fame and fortune are hardly greater than the luck of picking the right number at a national lottery.
1964 A. Wykes Gambling x. 236 (caption) A winning number in the French national lottery is drawn.
1991 Times Educ. Suppl. 15 Mar. 5/2 Already much is clear: a national lottery and tax incentives to provide extra funds and sponsorship for schools and sports clubs.
1999 National Trust Mag. Autumn 17/2 The autumn sees the completion of two-thirds of a major repair programme, with assistance from the Trust's Lake District Appeal, the Sports Council, the National Lottery and the ERDF.
National Mark n. now historical any of various marks formerly used on agricultural produce in England and Wales to indicate grade or quality, administered by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries; frequently attributive.
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the world > food and drink > farming > [noun] > farm produce > mark on
National Mark1928
1928 Times 8 Aug. 12/3 The Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries has appointed a Committee, to be known as the National Mark Committee,..empowered to authorize the use of grade designation marks.
1928 Times 8 Aug. 12/3 An artistic and striking ‘National Mark’ has been designed,..a silhouette map of South Britain with a circle inset bearing the words around the margin, ‘Produce of England and Wales’.
1937 Food Manuf. Oct. 340 The National Mark Scheme for Fruit Products..has now been extended to include..fruit juices.
1942 Jrnl. Royal Statist. Soc. 105 333 The National Mark standards for grading and packing went some way to achieve these objects.
national-minded adj. devoted to the interests of the nation as a whole.
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1872 Catholic World Sept. 728 The spirit of Oxford..does not care to impose itself on others, and thus it differs ever from the national-minded spirit of Munich.
1930 Amer. Econ. Rev. 20 479 In tariff legislation we are national minded, while our economic interests are becoming more and more international.
1998 Jrnl. Mod. Hist. 70 977 This was not an exclusively noble or Westernized culture, superseded in the nineteenth century by a new, socially differentiated, and national-minded bourgeois culture.
national minority n. a minority group whose members are descended from a nation other than that to which they now belong, usually forming a distinct community and retaining certain cultural differences.
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the world > people > ethnicities > [noun] > particular section or group of community or mankind
peoplea1382
public1709
national minority1918
ethnic minority1919
visible minority1940
1918 Amer. Jrnl. Internat. Law 12 231 Dr. Laun..argues that as Austria is ‘the cradle of protection of national minorities’..it should become the model of ‘the law of nationalities’.
1921 R. W. Seton-Watson in H. W. V. Temperley Hist. Peace Conf. Paris IV. 266 National minorities shall enjoy equal rights.
1945 E. E. Brooke tr. P. de Azcárate y Flórez League of Nations p. vii Those responsible for reconstructing Europe [will] find themselves once again confronted by the difficulties which national minorities have created in the past.
1991 Economist 7 Dec. 14/2 Every one of the republics that might pull away from the old Soviet Union is a patchwork of national minorities.
national party n. a political party claiming adherence to, support for, or identification with the national interest.
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society > authority > rule or government > politics > party politics > a party > [noun] > types of party generally (in various countries)
country party1648
war-party1798
Conservative Party1830
Progressive Party1830
national party1847
Labour Party1850
Nationalist Party1884
Social Credit1935
Third Force1936
third force1956
demandeur1966
People's Power1974
Green Party1977
1847 J. C. Calhoun Speeches in Wks. (1861) IV. 354 So completely did the National party succumb, that..the word ‘National’ was not named.
1966 ‘H. MacDiarmid’ Company I've Kept viii. 185 I took an active part in the formation of the National Party of Scotland.
1999 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 22 Apr. 48/2 The handful of Hindu national parties that have been part of India's political landscape since independence.
National Programme n. now historical a BBC radio service which operated from 1930 to 1939, when it was replaced by the Home Service (home service n. 2); cf. sense B. 6.
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society > communication > broadcasting > radio broadcasting > [noun] > radio service > specific
Radio 1, 2, 3, 4, 51920
2LO1923
National Programme1930
regional1930
national1931
Home Programme1939
home service1939
World Service1939
Light Programme1945
Third Programme1946
home1947
light1948
VOA1949
national service1956
1930 Radio Times 7 Mar. 557/2 The National Programme (wavelength 261 metres) is so called because it is to be the most far-reaching British programme, part of which will be relayed to stations outside London.
1938 W. Goatman By-ways of B.B.C. viii. 81 Control-Room engineers are responsible..for controlling three separate programmes—National, Regional, and Empire.
1971 D. G. Bridson Prospero & Ariel viii. 177 Back in the thirties, there had been two nation~wide broadcast programmes, the National and the Regional.
national security n. the safety of a nation and its people, institutions, etc., esp. from military threat or from espionage, terrorism, etc.; frequently as part of the name of an organization, government department, etc., set up to maintain or manage a country's security.
ΚΠ
1783 G. Washington in Pennsylvania Packet 30 Aug. I cannot hesitate to contribute my best endeavours towards the establishment of the national security in whatever manner the sovereign power may think proper to direct.
1832 J. A. Dix Rep. on Militia Syst. in Speeches & Occas. Addr. (1864) II. 122 The expenditure of time..will insure the preparation of a military body infinitely more efficient for all the purposes of national security.
1940 Hispanic Amer. Hist. Rev. 20 428 As 1939 ended Brazil was making a drive to assimilate her foreigners. The National Security Council was given the duty of proposing methods.
1952 Memorandum from President H. S. Truman on Intelligence Activities 24 Oct. 5 in www.gwu.edu. (O.E.D. Archive) The COMINT mission of the National Security Agency (NSA) shall be to prvide an effective, unified organization and control of the communications intelligence activities of the United States.
2000 T. Robbins Fierce Invalids 122 The old ‘for reasons of national security’ alibi. Heh!
national theatre n. (frequently with capital initials) a theatre endowed by the state.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > the theatre or the stage > a theatre > [noun] > other types of theatre
little theatre1569
private house1604
private playhouse1609
amphitheatre1611
private theatre1633
droll-house1705
summer theatre1761
show shop1772
national theatre1816
minor1821
legitimate1826
patent house1827
patent theatre1836
showboat1839
music theatre1849
penny-gaff1856
saloon theatre1864
leg shop1871
people's theatre1873
nickelodeon1888
repertory theatre1891
studio theatre1891
legit1897
blood-tub1906
rep1906
small-timer1910
grind house1923
theatrette1927
indie1928
vaude1933
straw hat1935
theatre-in-the-round1948
straw-hatter1949
bughouse1952
theatre-restaurant1958
dinner theatre1959
theatre club1961
black box1971
pub theatre1971
performance space1972
1816 E. S. Barrett Talents run Mad 21 I wish a national theatre..were established at the west end of the town, and then, perhaps, our fashionables would condescend to patronize a place of rational amusement.
1850 Househ. Words 16 Nov. 189/2 This..fund should be applied to the maintenance of a National Theatre.
1961 E. Waugh Unconditional Surrender 306 The foundation stone was solemnly laid for a National Theatre.
1995 Time Out 6 Dec. 147/1 The production lacks the sound foundations that one expects from the National Theatre.
National Vocational Qualification n. Education (in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland) a national qualification introduced in 1986 and gained chiefly in the workplace, in which successful candidates demonstrate competence in a range of work skills at any of three assessed levels (abbreviated NVQ); cf. GNVQ n. at G n. Initialisms.
ΚΠ
1986 Financial Times 3 Mar. 1/1 The establishment of an Education and Training Department..ties in with discussions over the new national vocational qualification for pupils to meet industry's needs.
1993 Brit.: Official Handbk. (H.M.S.O.) 415/1 National Vocational Qualifications..are based on national standards defining competence, knowledge and understanding that employers need.
2001 Guardian (Electronic ed.) 30 Jan. A hairdressing salon where women can study for a National Vocational Qualification.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.n.1591