denizen

American  

[den-uh-zuhn] / ˈdɛn ə zən /

noun

1. an inhabitant; resident.

2. a person who regularly frequents a place; habitué.

   the denizens of a local bar.

3. anything adapted to a new place, condition, etc., such as an animal or plant not indigenous to a place but successfully naturalized.

4. British Law. an alien admitted to residence and to certain rights of citizenship in a country: this legal designation has been obsolete since the first half of the 20th century.

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verb (used with object)

1. Chiefly British. to admit (an alien) to residence and certain rights of citizenship in a country.

denizen British  

/ ˈdɛnɪzən /

noun

1. an inhabitant; occupant; resident

2. an individual permanently resident in a foreign country where he enjoys certain rights of citizenship

3. a plant or animal established in a place to which it is not native

4. a naturalized foreign word

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verb

1. (tr) to make a denizen

Other Word Forms

• denization noun
• denizenation noun
• denizenship noun
• undenizened adjective

Etymology

Origin of denizen

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English denesyn, denisein, from Anglo-French denzein, denszein “(the) one within,” from deinz, dens, denz “inside, on the inside” (from Old French dedens, dedenz; dedans ) + -ein, adjective suffix (from Latin -āneus; -an, -eous ( def. ) )

Example Sentences

I was nonplussed at a 1992 symposium in Vienna when a hall filled with international art world denizens went absolutely wild, cheering and stomping when Kelley was introduced on a panel.

From Los Angeles Times

It contains much subtle humor, but the concluding set piece, with longhorns roaming the streets of Los Angeles and comedically terrifying its denizens, remains the movie’s high point.

From The Wall Street Journal

This denizen of the cloud forests shares pedigree with a fabled deity: Quetzalcoatl, the “Feathered Serpent.”

From Los Angeles Times

That’s because in a small, rural village located 90 miles southwest of Toronto, the denizens of Beachville, Ontario, were already running the bases—all five of them—in an early version of North America’s pastime.

From The Wall Street Journal

Within hours of arriving in Venice, he begins to suspect that the city itself, with its disorienting streets and shady denizens, is somehow in cahoots with his sphinxlike wife to betray him.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• dweller
• inhabitant
• occupant
• resident