native land
9
3.6
- noun
- /ˈneɪtɪv lænd/
:
tierra natal
- I have come back to touch, taste, and smell the wonders of my native land.
- return to their native land
Examples
-
The Chinese immigrants typically demonstrated the sojourner mentality, one of longing for their native land and roots.
Academic text (1991) -
Baade always considered himself a German and a European; he loved his native land and especially Westphalia, the region of his birth.
Academic text (2002) -
Our home and native land!
-
Still love your native land.
-
I came to see most of my native land and much of the rest of the world.
Fiction book (2001) -
I know how heavy your heart must be, this far from your family and native land...
Fiction book (1991) -
What exactly is our contribution to the social and cultural life of our native land?
Academic text (2000) -
It must do your heart good to be back home here in your native land.
-
Most Moravian immigrants described their identity as Moravian, as they had done in their native land.
Academic text (1996) -
After years of living abroad, she still feels a deep attachment to her native land.
Synonyms
177
3.1
The country where someone is born or where they feel they belong
22
4.6
The country where you were born or that you feel strongly connected to
12
7.4
The country where a person is born or feels strong loyalty to
11
2.7
A country where a person was born or something was made
5
3.4
The country a person or their family came from before moving
3
3.5
The country where you were born or the one you feel most connected to
1
4.4
The land where you are born and grow up
1
7.9
A person's native country that they love
How Emotional
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'the country where a person was born / homeland' is directly and compositionally derived from 'native' (originating from a place) modifying 'land' (territory), so the overall sense is predictable from the parts. This concept and construction are common cross-linguistically (e.g. tierra natal, terre natale) and would be readily understood by a B1 learner who knows both words.
Etymology
The phrase native land comes from the words native meaning 'born' and land meaning 'country'. Imagine a baby born on a small piece of ground — that ground becomes the place they always think of as home. That's why it means the country where someone was born and feels connected, their 'homeland'.