Word.ws English Dictionary

First Nation

Syllables: First Na·tion/ˌfɜːs(t)ˈneɪʃn/US/ˌfɜɹs(t)ˈneɪʃən/

First Nation noun: a community of indigenous peoples of Canada (typically not including the Inuit or Metis), especially one officially recognized by the federal government. Also the alternative form of First Nations.

first nation: a community of indigenous peoples of Canada (typically not including the Inuit or Metis),...
Image: Julie Gentry, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Noun

First Nation (plural First Nations)

  1. (Canada, in plural, often) A community of indigenous peoples of Canada (typically not including the Inuit or Metis), especially one officially recognized by the federal government.
    • Today we speak as the descendants of our grandfathers who signed treaties with the Commissioners representing Her Majesty Queen Victoria in the late 1800s. […] The various governments of this country have made attempts to abrogate our treaties in one way or another. In spite of this, our treaties...1980 December 18, Eugene Steinhauer, President of the Indian Association of Alberta, witness, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence of the Special Joint Committee of the Senate and the House of Commons...
    • The Campbell River First Nation claims the 40 hectares of prime real estate has been illegally acquired, and it wants the land returned to it, along with damages.2008 April 4, “Band sues for waterfront property”, in Edmonton Sun, Edmonton, Alta.: Sun Media Corporation, →ISSN, →OCLC
  2. (broadly, in plural, often, uncommon) A community or settlement of indigenous peoples of any country or region.
    1. (Australia, broadly, in plural, often, uncommon) A community of indigenous (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) peoples of Australia; a group of Indigenous Australians.

Also used as

First Nation is also the alternative form of First Nations.

First Nation meaning in Malay and Thai

First Nation in Malay

community of indigenous peoples of Canada (typically not including the Inuit or Metis) — see also Indian
Bangsa Pertama

First Nation in Thai

community of indigenous peoples of Canada (typically not including the Inuit or Metis) — see also Indian
เฟิสต์เนชันส์

Forms of First Nation

pluralFirst Nations

Origin of First Nation

From first (adjective) + nation, coined in the late 1970s in place of the word Indian which had become regarded by some as derogatory (though it is still used: see the usage note).

Words formed from First Nation

Words that rhyme with First Nation

48 more rhymesFewer rhymes

Questions about First Nation

What does First Nation mean?
First Nation means a community of indigenous peoples of Canada (typically not including the Inuit or Metis), especially one officially recognized by the federal government.
What is First Nation in Malay?
First Nation in Malay is Bangsa Pertama. See First Nation meaning in Malay.
What part of speech is First Nation?
First Nation is a noun.
How do you pronounce First Nation?
First Nation is pronounced /ˌfɜːs(t)ˈneɪʃn/ (UK).
What is the plural of First Nation?
The plural of First Nation is First Nations.

Words near First Nation in the dictionary

  1. First Month
  2. first mover
  3. first movers
  4. first name
  5. first names
  6. First Nation
  7. First Nation band
  8. First Nation bands
  9. First Nationer
  10. First Nationers
  11. First Nations

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: First Nation (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-First Nation.wav.

Cite this entry: “First Nation.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/first_nation. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.