Nation, n.
Etymology: [F. nation, L. natio nation, race, orig., a being born, fr. natus, p.p. of nasci, to be born, for gnatus, gnaci, from the same root as E. kin. 44. See Kin kindred, and cf. Cognate, Natal, Native.]
1. (Ethnol.)
A part, or division, of the people of the earth, distinguished from the rest by common descent, language, or institutions; a race; a stock. All nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues. Rev. vii. 9.
2. The body of inhabitants of a country, united under an independent government of their own. A nation is the unity of a people. Coleridge. Praise the power that hath made and preserved us a nation. F. S. Key.
3. Family; lineage. [Obs.] Chaucer.
3 more senses
4. (a) One of the divisions of university students in a classification according to nativity, formerly common in Europe. (b) (Scotch Universities) One of the four divisions (named from the parts of Scotland) in which students were classified according to their nativity.
5. A great number; a great deal; -- by way of emphasis; as, a nation of herbs. Sterne. Five nations. See under Five. -- Law of nations. See International law, under International, and Law.
Syn. -- people; race. See People.
Shades of meaning
Fernald has no entry of its own for nation; he lists it under people.
Where he writes about it:
A nation is an organized political community considered with reference to the persons composing it as having certain definite boundaries, a definite number of citizens, etc. — from people
The members of a people are referred to as persons or individuals; the individual members of a state or nation are called citizens or subjects. — from people
The population of a country is simply the aggregate of persons residing within its borders, without reference to race, organization, or allegiance; unnaturalized residents form part of the population, but not of the nation, possessing none of the rights and being subject to none of the duties of citizens. — from people