Main Entry: na·tion·al·i·ty

Pronunciation: \ˌna-shə-ˈna-lə-tē, ˌnash-ˈna-\

Function: noun

Inflected Form(s): plural na·tion·al·i·ties

Date: 1691

1 : national character
2 : nationalism 1
3 a : national status; specifically : a legal relationship involving allegiance on the part of an individual and usually protection on the part of the state b : membership in a particular nation
4 : political independence or existence as a separate nation
5 a : a people having a common origin, tradition, and language and capable of forming or actually constituting a nation-state b : an ethnic group constituting one element of a larger unit (as a nation)