“citizens” is a form of
citizen
/ˈsɪtɪzən/ noun
Forms citizens cytesin
- noun A resident of a city or town, especially one with legally recognized rights or duties.
- noun A legally recognized member of a state, with associated rights and obligations; a person considered in terms of this role. “I am a Roman citizen.”
- noun An inhabitant or occupant: a member of any place. “Diogenes reckoned himself a citizen of the world.”
- noun (Christianity) A resident of the heavenly city or (later) of the kingdom of God: a Christian; a good Christian.
- noun A civilian, as opposed to a police officer, soldier, or member of some other specialized (usually state) group.
- noun (obsolete) An ordinary person, as opposed to nobles and landed gentry on one side and peasants, craftsmen, and laborers on the other.
- noun (now historical, usually capitalized) A term of address among supporters of the French Revolution in France or elsewhere; (later, dated) a term of address among socialists and communists.
- noun (computing, figurative) A notional inhabitant of a software system; an object or a software application.
- noun A personal Title denoting citizenship, implicitly of the nation in which it is spoken
- noun A pupil of City of London School
Synonyms
burgess burgher cityite freeman countryman national denizen local inhabitant native occupant resident comrade townsman townswoman
Antonyms
alien illegal alien foreigner illegal outsider stranger countryfolk country gentleman countryman peasant villager noncitizen
Etymology
From Middle English citeseyn (“inhabitant of a city or town”), citezein, citisein, from Anglo-Norman citesain (“city-dweller, town-dweller”), citesein, citezein, alteration of citeien from cite (“city”) + -ien (“-ain”) (probable variant of cithein perhaps influenced by dainzain (“denizen”), deinzein), from Old French cite (“city”) + -ien (whence French citoyen), from earlier citet, from Latin civitatem, citatem, from civis. See also city. Displaced native Old English burhsittend and Old English ceasterware.
Webster’s 1913
- noun One who enjoys the freedom and privileges of a city; a freeman of a city, as distinguished from a foreigner, or one not entitled to its franchises.
- noun An inhabitant of a city; a townsman. Shak.
- adjective Having the condition or qualities of a citizen, or of citizens; as, a citizen soldiery.
- adjective Of or pertaining to the inhabitants of a city; characteristic of citizens; effeminate; luxurious. [Obs.]
Etymology [OE. citisein, OF. citeain, F. citoyen, fr. cité city. See City, and cf. Cit.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “citizen”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details