denizen

[ den-uh-zuhn ]
See synonyms for: denizendenizens on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. an inhabitant; resident.

  2. a person who regularly frequents a place; habitué: the denizens of a local bar.

  1. anything adapted to a new place, condition, etc., such as an animal or plant not indigenous to a place but successfully naturalized.

  2. British Law. an alien admitted to residence and to certain rights of citizenship in a country: this legal designation has been obsolete since the first half of the 20th century.

verb (used with object)
  1. Chiefly British. to admit (an alien) to residence and certain rights of citizenship in a country.

Origin of denizen

1
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English denesyn, denisein, from Anglo-French denzein, denszein “(the) one within,” from deinz, dens, denz “inside, on the inside” (from Old French dedens, dedenz; see dedans) + -ein, adjective suffix (from Latin -āneus; see -an, -eous)

Other words from denizen

  • den·i·za·tion [den-uh-zey-shuhn], /ˌdɛn əˈzeɪ ʃən/, den·i·zen·a·tion [den-uh-zuh-ney-shuhn], /ˌdɛn ə zəˈneɪ ʃən/, noun
  • den·i·zen·ship, noun
  • un·den·i·zened, adjective

Words Nearby denizen

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use denizen in a sentence

  • How lovely, than, that one Internet denizen took the time to help these forgotten statesmen find sexual satiation…with each other!

  • When Kemal, a wealthy denizen of Istanbul, meets Fusun, a beautiful shop girl and distant cousin, the two begin a torrid affair.

    This Week's Hot Reads | The Daily Beast | November 24, 2009 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • It's a small, exclusive French brand that was once only the denizen of select fashionistas.

    Battle of the Oscar Stylists | Merle Ginsberg | February 20, 2009 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • It embellishes the denizen of the city, and hides the nakedness of barbarism.

  • It was strange indeed to meet a living denizen of a world that seemed to her impossible except in books.

    Duffels | Edward Eggleston
  • The elephant is the denizen of the forests where, in a succeeding chapter, we shall encounter both him and the rhinoceros.

    The Desert World | Arthur Mangin
  • The solitary denizen of the plains—the little minivet (Pericrocotus peregrinus)—is the least resplendent of them all.

  • Sometimes this throat uttered Yes, sometimes it uttered No; sometimes it made inquiries about a time worn denizen of the place.

    Return of the Native | Thomas Hardy

British Dictionary definitions for denizen

denizen

/ (ˈdɛnɪzən) /


noun
  1. an inhabitant; occupant; resident

  2. British an individual permanently resident in a foreign country where he enjoys certain rights of citizenship

  1. a plant or animal established in a place to which it is not native

  2. a naturalized foreign word

verb
  1. (tr) to make a denizen

Origin of denizen

1
C15: from Anglo-French denisein, from Old French denzein, from denz within, from Latin de intus from within

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