Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun An inhabitant; a resident.
  • noun One that frequents a particular place.
  • noun Ecology An animal or a plant naturalized in a region.
  • noun Chiefly British A foreigner who is granted rights of residence and sometimes of citizenship.
  • transitive verb To make a denizen of; grant rights of residence to.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun In botany, a plant suspected to be of foreign origin, though behaving as if indigenous.
  • To make a denizen; admit to residence with certain rights and privileges; endenizen.
  • Within the city franchise; having acquired certain rights or privileges of citizenship.
  • noun A stranger admitted to residence and certain rights in a foreign country; in English law, an alien admitted to citizenship by the sovereign's letters patent, but ineligible to any public office. The word has a similar meaning in South Carolina.
  • noun A citizen; a dweller; an inhabitant.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To constitute (one) a denizen; to admit to residence, with certain rights and privileges.
  • transitive verb To provide with denizens; to populate with adopted or naturalized occupants.
  • noun A dweller; an inhabitant.
  • noun One who is admitted by favor to all or a part of the rights of citizenship, where he did not possess them by birth; an adopted or naturalized citizen.
  • noun One admitted to residence in a foreign country.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun An inhabitant of a place; one who dwells in.
  • noun One who frequents a place.
  • noun obsolete A person with rights between those of naturalized citizen and resident alien (roughly permanent resident), obtained through letters patent.
  • noun biology Used to describe the range or habitat of an animal or plant.
  • verb transitive, UK To grant rights of citizenship to; to naturalize.
  • verb transitive To provide with denizens; to populate with adopted or naturalized occupants.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a person who inhabits a particular place
  • noun a plant or animal naturalized in a region

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English denisein, from Anglo-Norman denzein, from deinz, within, from Late Latin deintus, from within; see dedans.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English denisein, from Anglo-Norman denzein, from deinz ("within"), from Late Latin deintus ("from within") (French dedans).

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Examples

  • "The term denizen literally means 'citizen of the world,'" said Ross Klein, global head of Hilton's Luxury & Lifestyle Brands division.

    Interior Design Industry News 2009

  • "The term denizen literally means 'citizen of the world,'" Klein said in a statement.

    Statesman - AP Sports 2009

  • "The term denizen literally means 'citizen of the world,'" said Ross Klein, global head of Hilton's Luxury & Lifestyle Brands division.

    Interior Design Industry News 2009

  • "The term denizen literally means 'citizen of the world,'" said Ross Klein, global head of Hilton's Luxury & Lifestyle Brands division.

    Interior Design Industry News 2009

  • "The term denizen literally means 'citizen of the world,'" said Ross Klein, global head of Hilton's Luxury & Lifestyle Brands division.

    Interior Design Industry News 2009

  • Denizen Hotels website remains fairly vague - lots of flash and plenty of sleek, chic introductions to the Denizen concept - here's what we know so far: the brand will be aimed at the "globally conscious modern traveler," with the word denizen meant to be interpreted as "citizen of the world."

    HotelChatter - 2009

  • He thanked Allen for the “chance to show that I’m a whole human being, something more than a long-term denizen of the dugout.”

    Sound and Fury Dave Kindred 2006

  • As used in this place (hamsaya) has exactly the force of our word denizen ... it is a point of honor for every man to protect his Humsauyehs ... one of the few quarrels I have heard of among the Dooraunees, originated in an injury offered to a Humsauyeh.

    Connecting Histories in Afghanistan: Market Relations and State Formation on a Colonial Frontier 2008

  • Fontevrault, but the bonds uniting the English nunneries to the mother-house were gradually loosened until from alien they became denizen, that is to say, practically independent.

    The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 6: Fathers of the Church-Gregory XI 1840-1916 1913

  • Downey has called the denizen of 221B Baker Street an early superhero.

    Denver Post: News: Breaking: Local 2009

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