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international

Etymology and origin of the English word international

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1780 (Bentham)
Ultimate origins
English (inter-)Middle French (national)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin nascor
Latin natura
English nature
Latin natio
English nation
English national
English international

Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /ˌɪn.təˈnæʃ.ᵊn.ᵊl/, US /ˌɪn.t̬ɚˈnæʃ.ᵊn.ᵊl/[1]

Etymology

It was coined by Jeremy Bentham in 1780,[2][3][4] from English inter- + national.[2][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Between nations: 1780, in the phrase international jurisprudence in Bentham's Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

Bentham admitted in a footnote that the word was new, and meant it to replace law of nations, a name that he thought sounded as if it referred to a nation's internal law.[2][3] Internationally is recorded from 1821.[2] As a noun with a capital, the International is short for the International Working Men's Association, founded in London in 1864;[2][4] Merriam-Webster dates the noun to 1870.[6] The socialist hymn The Internationale (1871) takes its name from the feminine of French international, itself from English.[2] The International Date Line is named from 1882.[2]

Timeline

  • 1780 – coined by Bentham.[2][3]
  • 1821 – internationally.[2]
  • 1864 – the International Working Men's Association.[2]
  • 1870 – noun.[6]
  • 1871 – The Internationale.[2]
  • 1882 – International Date Line.[2]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Of, relating to or involving two or more nations.
  2. Extending across or beyond national boundaries.

Noun

  1. (capitalized) Any of several socialist organizations of international scope founded in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Word family

  • internationality
  • internationally
  • internationalise
  • internationalize
  • internationalism
  • Interpol
  • noninternational

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 i j k l m Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  4. ^ a b Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
  5. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ a b Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
Cite this entry

“International.” Etymologically, 15 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/international. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·