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

Another denizen of Miami’s canals, the huge snake was easily twelve feet long, with a spotted green-and-brown body as thick as Natalie’s leg.

From Literature

For statehouse denizens in Concord, the question of pay turns on competing views about the makeup of the legislative body and the virtues of volunteer lawmakers.

From The Wall Street Journal

Were the U.S. to replace that Danish grant, that alone would make the island’s residents the largest per capita recipients of federal grants, surpassing denizens of Alaska or Washington, D.C.

From The Wall Street Journal

First as a denizen of New York’s tabloid culture and then as the star of TV’s faux-boardroom drama, “The Apprentice.”

From Los Angeles Times

Might the tax have prompted wealthy denizens to move or sell fewer assets?

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• dweller
• inhabitant
• occupant
• resident