Catalans

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. People originating from Catalonia, a region in northeastern Spain with a distinct language and culture ; inhabitants or natives of Catalonia known for their unique traditions and language ; members of the Catalan community recognized for their heritage linked to the area of Catalonia in Spain and parts of France and Andorra
2. Individuals belonging to the ethnic group associated with the autonomous community of Catalonia in Spain ; people identified by their use of the Catalan language and cultural practices distinctive to Catalonia ; residents or descendants of the Catalan region noted for their language, history, and cultural identity
3. Those hailing from the Catalonia region in Spain characterized by their Catalan language and customs ; persons connected to the Catalan ethnicity and culture within Spain and nearby territories ; the collective members of the Catalan people distinguished by their regional origin and linguistic heritage

Etymology: "Catalans" is simply the plural of "Catalan," so the history belongs to the singular. The name traces back to Catalan "català," the word the people of the region use for themselves. English first recorded "Catalan" in 1480, having taken it in from French "catalan," which itself came from that Catalan original. Along the way the Middle English form "Catalane" appeared, but the basic path is the same: a local name for a people moved outward into the wider languages of Europe. The surprise here is how little the English word changed on its journey. Its shape stayed close to the Catalan original, so a speaker of Catalan would recognize it almost at once. The English plural simply adds the "s" that marks more than one person, whether we mean the people of the region as a whole or a group of individuals from it.