fatherland

noun

fa·​ther·​land ˈfä-t͟hər-ˌland How to pronounce fatherland (audio)
1
: the native land or country of one's father or ancestors
2
: one's native land or country

Examples of fatherland in a Sentence

though they had lived in their adopted country for many years, the immigrant families never broke their ties with the fatherland entirely
Recent Examples on the Web Before the invasion, Kirill falsely cast Russian troops as defenders of the fatherland and aimed to dispel moral misgivings. Nina Shea, National Review, 24 Jan. 2024 The sympathizers range from Mr. Sarkozy’s Gaullist center right, with its simmering resentment of American power in Europe and admiration for strong leaders, to Marine Le Pen’s far right, enamored of Mr. Putin’s stand for family, faith and fatherland against a supposedly decadent West. Roger Cohen, New York Times, 28 Aug. 2023 Universal military conscription—invented by the revolutionary government of France—enabled nation-states to recruit massive armies whose soldiers were motivated to fight for their fatherland. Andreas Wimmer, Foreign Affairs, 12 Feb. 2019 Russian soldiers have been indoctrinated by state propaganda that depicts Ukrainians as Nazis and as traitors to the fatherland. The Week Staff, The Week, 15 July 2023 Vinayak Savarkar, a key early ideologue of Hindutva, or Hindu nationalism, declared in 1923 that India was both a fatherland and a holy land, whose history and civilization were essentially Hindu. Supriya Gandhi, Foreign Affairs, 13 July 2020 But another side of me believed in order, discipline and the fatherland. Nicholas Casey, New York Times, 10 June 2023 Each fights for the fatherland. Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review, 18 Mar. 2022 To his French fatherland, naturally. New York Times, 26 Feb. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fatherland.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of fatherland was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near fatherland

Cite this Entry

“Fatherland.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fatherland. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

fatherland

noun
fa·​ther·​land ˈfät͟h-ər-ˌland How to pronounce fatherland (audio)
ˈfȧt͟h-
1
: the native land of one's ancestors
2
: one's native land

More from Merriam-Webster on fatherland

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