Americana

[uh-mer-i-kan-uh, -kah-nuh, -key-nuh]

noun

1. (often used with a plural verb),  books, papers, maps, etc., relating to America, especially to its history, culture, and geography.

2. (used with a singular verb),  a collection of such materials.

Americana

/ əˌmɛrɪˈkɑːnə /

plural noun

1. objects, such as books, documents, relics, etc, relating to America, esp in the form of a collection

2. all forms of traditional music indigenous to America, and their modern variants

Word History and Origins

Origin of Americana¹

An Americanism dating back to 1835–45; Americ(a) + -ana

Example Sentences

The coastal summer vacation has long been a staple of middle-class Americana, but what happens when the tourists go home?

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Americana singer-songwriter Neko Case, who turned 55 years old earlier this month, doesn’t seem to wrestle with this question the way many of her contemporaries do.

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Based in Salt Lake City, he’s long championed outlaw writers, western Americana and literary misfits — none more so than his late friend, Edward Abbey.

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Shires was once one half of a relatively high-profile couple on the Americana music scene.

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Bryan, 29, who was in the Navy before reaching fame as country/Americana singer and songwriter, has 4.9 million Instagram followers.

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