Americana

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

/ əˌmɛr ɪˈkæn ə, -ˈkɑ nə, -ˈkeɪ nə /

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noun

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

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

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Origin of Americana

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

Words nearby Americana

amerce, America, America First Committee, America Firster, American, Americana, American aloe, American Antislavery Society, American Association of Retired Persons, American Beauty, American Bible Society

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Americana in a sentence

I recently caught up with photographer Christopher Bryson, who is contemplating a road trip west from New Orleans to capture the rawness of Americana.
Vegas Is Back—but It’s Not the Same as Before|Thuc Nguyen|November 5, 2021|The Daily Beast
Even the Independence Day parade shifted this summer from a once-revered slice of Americana to another battle in a culture war.
Montanans used to live and let live. Now bitter confrontations cloud Big Sky Country.|Lisa Rein|October 25, 2021|Washington Post
This unusual but enduring piece of Americana remains a unique resume point for a handful of athletes, even rarer than an Olympic medal.
What’s Rarer Than Gold? Making It Onto A Wheaties Box.|Kaleigh Rogers|August 6, 2021|FiveThirtyEight
The theme park, which celebrates its 36th season this year, is a slice of Americana, with rides, musical performances galore, a museum filled with Dolly Parton memorabilia and even an eagle sanctuary.
Have vaccine, will travel: How a road trip served as a needed jolt from the blahs at home|Kate Silver|May 21, 2021|Washington Post

Prominent Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, who wrote Americana, defended Rowling’s stance.
The Gender Revolution|Daniel Malloy|March 21, 2021|Ozy
His friend has dropped hat and cane in shock but the drawing shows stuff that an Americana collector nowadays would kill for.
The Magazine That Made—and Unmade—Politicians|Anthony Haden-Guest|November 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Some 7,000 Confederates set sail for Brazil in the aftermath of the American Civil War, settling in a city called Americana.
The Daily Beast’s Best Longreads, July 13, 2014||July 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And yet that just contributed to the local lore of the state as a repository for rugged Americana.
Heroin Threatens Vermont’s Rural Paradise|Matt Taylor|February 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Where does a Latin America-born boy with a Cuban father living in Miami learn to get in touch with Americana folk roots?
‘Inside Llewyn Davis’ Star Oscar Isaac Is About to Be a Very Big Deal|Kevin Fallon|December 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST
These were the historic building blocks of a failed Pax Americana.
The End of U.S. Imperium—Finally!|David Stockman|September 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Those of Uncinaria duodenalis measure about 30 by 50 ; of Uncinaria Americana, somewhat more.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
"I've been a collector of Americana," Bassett remarked, throwing open several cases.
A Hoosier Chronicle|Meredith Nicholson
They had been given those Americana roots, not primarily to dwarf them, but to insure them against damage from the cold winters.
Dwarf Fruit Trees|F. A. Waugh
Myriophyllum heterophyllum, Potamogeton foliosus, and Justicia americana common.
Fishes of Chautauqua, Cowley and Elk Counties, Kansas|Artie L. Metcalf
In Harpalus Latr., and Silpha americana, the four anterior ones are similarly formed in this respect.
An Introduction to Entomology: Vol. III (of 4)|William Kirby

British Dictionary definitions for Americana

Americana

/ (əˌmɛrɪˈkɑːnə) /

pl n

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

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012