North American
20
2.4
- noun
- /nɔrθ əˈmɛrɪkən/
:
norteamericano
- Americans, Canadians, and Mexicans can be nationals and North Americans at the same time.
- native North Americans
- many North Americans
- North American Indians
Examples
-
For many North Americans, I believe, there is a frisson of hope and expectation.
Academic text (2015) -
I thought native North Americans could run all day.
-
And they spend three years, four years, five years, six years of their life in North American universities.
-
Many national firms became North American, producing and marketing their products in all three countries.
Academic text (2008) -
There were five North Americans among the faculty, three of whom taught English.
Academic text (1999) -
As they were about to pass me, I said in a loud voice, "I'm a North American."
Fiction book (1995) -
But overall, as a North American, I don't really feel like I'm missing out on a whole lot.
-
According to Current Biography, the Hornsby signing was the first time North Americans ever heard of the Mexican League.
Academic text (1994) -
Furthermore, the flow of North American oil into the world oil market will undermine OPEC's ability to control prices.
Academic text (2015) -
As a North American, I enjoy celebrating Thanksgiving with my family every year.
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a person from North America' is directly and predictably composed from the geographic modifier 'North' plus the demonym/adjective 'American', so the overall sense follows standard noun-compounding patterns. This construction is cross-linguistically common (modifier + nationality/place term), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will almost certainly infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
North American as a noun is made from the words North and America and names a person from that area, for example someone from Canada, the United States, or Mexico. So it means 'a person from North America'.