Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Books and papers relating to America, particularly to its early history, geography, etc.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun any artifact (such a books or furniture or art) that is distinctive to America.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun All things peculiar to the United States' culture and people, anything that is a symbol of American life.
  • noun music An amalgam of roots musics formed by the confluence of the shared and varied traditions that make up the American musical ethos; specifically those sounds that are merged from folk, country, blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll and other external influential styles.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun any artifact (such as books or furniture or art) that is distinctive of America

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

American +‎ -ana

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Examples

  • Put a banjo on your CD and I'll toss out the term Americana, but it's as good a place as any to start when describing The Low Anthem's all-encompassing sound that ventures from Aaron Copland to Uncle Tupelo to The Band on their quieter days.

    Michael Giltz: CDs of the Week: Adele and The Low Anthem Michael Giltz 2011

  • Put a banjo on your CD and I'll toss out the term Americana, but it's as good a place as any to start when describing The Low Anthem's all-encompassing sound that ventures from Aaron Copland to Uncle Tupelo to The Band on their quieter days.

    Michael Giltz: CDs of the Week: Adele and The Low Anthem Michael Giltz 2011

  • In his introduction to the festival's program, the president of the Americana Music Association -- the improbably-named Jed Hilly -- notes that the word Americana was recently added to Miriam-Webster's dictionary, with the definition: "a genre of American music having roots in early folk and country music."

    Radley Balko: Americana, the Beautiful Radley Balko 2011

  • In his introduction to the festival's program, the president of the Americana Music Association -- the improbably-named Jed Hilly -- notes that the word Americana was recently added to Miriam-Webster's dictionary, with the definition: "a genre of American music having roots in early folk and country music."

    Radley Balko: Americana, the Beautiful Radley Balko 2011

  • In his introduction to the festival's program, the president of the Americana Music Association -- the improbably-named Jed Hilly -- notes that the word Americana was recently added to Miriam-Webster's dictionary, with the definition: "a genre of American music having roots in early folk and country music."

    Radley Balko: Americana, the Beautiful Radley Balko 2011

  • The term Americana represents artists who refuse to be stereotyped into one specific genre, and allows the freedom to express their passion in music … in whatever form it may take.

    Americana Roots John Walker 2010

  • Cash's covers of Billy Joe Shaver's "I'm Just an Old Chunk of Coal" and Jimmy Webb's "Wichita Lineman" define the term Americana, and add great depth and dimension to the original versions.

    "xchannel" via Mindfield in Google Reader mr.A 2010

  • And I never really associate the word "Americana" with its stereotype anyway.

    Mike Ragogna: A Pomegranate & Billy Jack: Conversations with Once's Marketa Irglova and honeyhoney Mike Ragogna 2011

  • And I never really associate the word "Americana" with its stereotype anyway.

    Mike Ragogna: A Pomegranate & Billy Jack: Conversations with Once's Marketa Irglova and honeyhoney Mike Ragogna 2011

  • Americana is the biggest food-service franchise operator in the Middle East, with more than 1,200 restaurants in the region.

    Darden Gets Agreement for Middle East Franchising Nathan Becker 2010

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