citizen

A2 Topic:People & Society

US /ˈsɪtɪzən/ UK /ˈsɪtɪzən/ See IPA manual

Freq #3516

Meanings

1

noun
A legally recognized member of a country, with the rights and duties that come with it.

As a citizen of France, she can vote in national elections.
2

noun
A person who lives in a particular city or town.

The citizens of the town gathered to protest the new tax.
3

noun
An ordinary member of the public, as distinct from officials or rulers.

Every citizen has the right to a fair trial.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a legally recognized member... national

2 noun · a person who lives in a... inhabitant resident

More burgess burgher denizen townsmantownswoman

Opposites

countryfolkcountryman peasant villager

Word family

Forms citizens

Derived forms anticitizencitizendomcitizeness citizenhoodcitizenisecitizenishcitizenismcitizenistcitizenizationcitizenizecitizenlikecitizenly

Related forms citifycity civil civilian

Appears in

Phrases (2)

See all

senior citizen
an older adult, especially in discussions of age-related services or benefits

Adjective + noun
prominent citizen
a well-known and influential member of a community

Adjective + noun

Etymology

From Middle English citeseyn, citezein, borrowed from Anglo-Norman citesain (“burgher; city-dweller”), citezein, etc., probably a variant of cithein under influence of deinzein (“denizen”), from Anglo-Norman and Old French citeain, etc. and citaien, citeien, etc. ("burgher"; modern French citoyen), from cité ("settlement; cathedral city, city"; modern French cité) + -ain or -ien (“-an, -ian”). See city and hewe. Displaced native Old English burgwaras (plural form).

citeseyn Middle English citesain xno citeain Old French

View etymology graph ->

Topics

People & Society

External links

# citizen

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈsɪtɪzən/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈsɪtɪzən/
**Frequency rank:** 3516

## Meanings
1. A legally recognized member of a country, with the rights and duties that come with it.
2. A person who lives in a particular city or town.
3. An ordinary member of the public, as distinct from officials or rulers.

## Examples
- As a citizen of France, she can vote in national elections.
- The citizens of the town gathered to protest the new tax.
- Every citizen has the right to a fair trial.

## Synonyms
- burgess
- burgher
- denizen
- townsman
- townswoman

## Antonyms
- countryfolk
- countryman
- peasant
- villager

## Derived Forms
- anticitizen
- citizendom
- citizeness
- citizenhood
- citizenise
- citizenish
- citizenism
- citizenist
- citizenization
- citizenize
- citizenlike
- citizenly

## Related Forms
- citify
- city
- civil
- civilian

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: citeseyn
- Root: citesain
- Root: citeain

## Etymology
From Middle English citeseyn, citezein, borrowed from Anglo-Norman citesain (“burgher; city-dweller”), citezein, etc., probably a variant of cithein under influence of deinzein (“denizen”), from Anglo-Norman and Old French citeain, etc. and citaien, citeien, etc. ("burgher"; modern French citoyen), from cité ("settlement; cathedral city, city"; modern French cité) + -ain or -ien (“-an, -ian”). See city and hewe. Displaced native Old English burgwaras (plural form).

## AI Etymology
citizen is a noun. It is from Middle English citeseyn, citezein, borrowed from Anglo-Norman citesain (“burgher; city-dweller”), citezein, etc., probably a variant of cithein under influence of deinzein (“denizen”), from Anglo-Norman and Old French citeain, etc. and citaien, citeien, etc. ("burgher"; modern French citoyen), from cité ("settlement; cathedral city, city"; modern French cité) + -ain or -ien (“-an, -ian”). See city and hewe. Displaced native Old English burgwaras (plural form). Historical forms in the chain include citeseyn (Middle English), citesain (Anglo-Norman), and citeain (Old French). Current senses include a legally recognized member of a country, with the rights and duties that come with it, a person who lives in a particular city or town, and an ordinary member of the public, as distinct from officials or rulers. Derived forms include anticitizen, citizendom, citizeness, citizenhood, and citizenise. Related words include citify, city, civil, and civilian.

## Topics
- People & Society

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