Etymologically
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homeland

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 17 October 2026 at 15:35. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /ˈhəʊm.lænd/, US /ˈhoʊm.lænd/[1]

Etymology

It is a compound, from English home + land.[2] Old English had hamland, which meant an enclosed pasture.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The land of one's birth or adopted home: about 1627 in Merriam-Webster, the 1660s in Etymonline, 1670 in the OED.[3][2][4]

Semantic evolution

Homeland meaning home is from about 1892.[4] The word is not in the Century Dictionary (1910), and around 1900 it often appeared in the names of real-estate developments.[2] It became more frequent in the 20th century: by 1918 it was used of a Jewish state planned in Palestine, and by 1938 of German territorial policies.[2] South Africa gave the name to the territories set aside for its Black population.[5][6] The US Department of Homeland Security was created in 2002.[2]

Timeline

  • c. 1627 – homeland.[3]
  • 1670 – one's native land.[4]
  • c. 1892 – home.[4]
  • by 1918 – a Jewish homeland.[2]
  • 2002 – Homeland Security.[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. One's native land; the country where one was born or lives.
  2. A state or region closely identified with a particular people or ethnic group.
  3. (South Africa, historical) Any of the ten territories designated as semiautonomous states for the Black population; a Bantustan.
  • home ground
  • fatherland
  • motherland
  • home
  • land

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  6. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins