Central Americanadj.n.
/ˌsɛntr(ə)l əˈmɛrᵻk(ə)n/, U.S. /ˌsɛntrəl əˈmɛrək(ə)n/ A. adj.
Of, relating to, or characteristic of Central America, a region consisting of the isthmus linking North America to South America, and including the countries of Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > named regions of earth > America > Central and South America > [adjective] > Central America
Central American1824
Sonoran1857
Mid-American1859
Middle American1910
Mesoamerican1948
1824 Morning Chron. 28 Dec. 2/5 All the differences which had occurred amongst the provinces of this central American Republic, had been amicably arranged.
1857 Ld. Napier Let. 12 Mar. in Corr. Central Amer. 1856–60 (1860) 29 in Parl. Papers LXVIII. 653 A settlement of the Central American question in conformity with the spirit of the Treaty.
1934 A. Huxley Beyond Mexique Bay 46 I have seen a fair amount of Central American art.
1983 Florida Entomologist 66 77 The Central American form..of the day-flying moth.
2002 G. M. Eberhart Mysterious Creatures I. 113/1 The Kinkajou (Potos flavus)..is common in Central American forests.
B. n.
An inhabitant or native of Central America.
ΘΚΠ
the world > people > nations > native or inhabitant of America > native or inhabitant of Central America > [noun]
Central American1827
Mesoamerican1964
1827 Pensacola Gaz. & W. Florida Advertiser 20 Jan. 1/4 The central Americans will present a firm phalanx to resist the Spanish tyrant.
1851 F. Molina Mem. on Boundary Quest. 25 He perhaps was actuated in his writings by feelings of the deepest regret, excited by a general view of the erroneous course pursued by the Central Americans.
1934 A. Huxley Beyond Mexique Bay 46 The art of the Central Americans.
1959 T. S. Eliot Elder Statesman iii. 86 He's Federico Gomez, the Central American.
2003 Wall St. Jrnl. 18 Dec. a1/6 Tough patent protections that could limit access by Central Americans to important medicines.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2016; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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adj.n.1824