Anational

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Not associated with or belonging to any particular nation or nationality
2. lacking national identity or allegiance to any specific country or state
3. existing outside or beyond the framework of national borders and governmental structures

Etymology: "Anational" is a plain formation: the Greek negative prefix "a-" attached to "national." That prefix is the same one found in words like "atheist" and "anarchy," and it reaches English through ancient Greek, where it simply meant "not" or "without." Its ultimate ancestry goes back to an Indo-European negative particle, but in practice the prefix works as a straightforward marker of absence. The base word "national" is English, built on "nation," so "anational" is literally "not national." Because the prefix is so productive, it can be attached to almost any adjective, which means the word follows a pattern rather than a single historical event. Its meaning matches the plain sense of its parts: a thing, person, or group that has no link to any particular nation.

Synonyms: international, transnational

Antonyms: national