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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 Florentine explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci (1451–1512).
The term dates back to 1507, when it appeared on a world map created by the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller, in honor of Vespucci, applied to the land that is now Brazil. The full name "United States of America" was first used during the American Revolutionary War, though its precise origin is a matter of contention. [1]
American + Sāmoa: The CIA World Factbook says "The name Samoa is composed of two parts, 'sa', meaning sacred, and 'moa', meaning center, so the name can mean Holy Center; alternately, it can mean 'place of the sacred moa bird' of Polynesian mythology." [113] "American" is ultimately derived from Amerigo Vespucci. [114]
Moreover, because Amerike's coat of arms was similar to the flag later adopted by the independent United States, a legend grew that the North American continent had been named for him rather than for Amerigo Vespucci. [25] It is not widely accepted - the origin is usually attributed to the flag of the British East India Company.
The word American is sometimes questioned because the people referred to resided in the Americas before they were so named. As of 1995, according to the US Census Bureau, 50% of people who identified as Indigenous preferred the term American Indian, 37% preferred Native American, and the remainder preferred other terms or had no preference. [18]
The earliest attested use of the term "American" to identify an ancestral or cultural identity dates to the late 1500s, with the term signifying "the indigenous peoples discovered in the Western Hemisphere by Europeans." [14] In the following century, the term "American" was extended as a reference to colonists of European descent. [14]
This is an accepted version of this page This is the latest accepted revision, reviewed on 6 January 2025. Citizens and nationals of the United States This article is about the people of the United States of America. For a background on their demonym, see American (word). For other uses, see American (disambiguation) and The Americans (disambiguation). For the legal term, see United States ...
American(s) may refer to: American, something of, from, ... American (word), for analysis and history of the meanings in various contexts; Organizations