National Savings Bank, the
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guns, and opposes attempts to change the laws and introduce more strict controls on guns. It is thought of as a very powerful group which has a lot of political influence, especially in the Republican Party.
National 'Savings Bank, the a British bank that operates through local post offices. It is known for selling National Savings Certificates and PREMIUM BONDS. It is considered a very safe place for people's savings, because the money is in the care of the British government.
National 'Science Foun,dation, the a US government organization that provides money and support for scientific study
national se'curity n [U] the safety of a nation against its enemies. Providing for national security usually means having weapons and armies to defend the nation: public money spent on national security
National Se'curity ,Council, the a powerful government committee in the US, which controls the relationship between military and foreign policy. Its members include the President, the Secretary of State, and the Defense Secretary, and its head is the President's 'National Security Adviser'.
national 'service BrE || draft AmE — n [U] (often caps.) the system, no longer current in Britain or the US, of making all men (and sometimes all women) serve in the armed forces for a limited period: He did his national service in the navy.
National 'Socialist n a member of the German Nazi Party, which was officially called the National Socialist Party —National Socialism n [U]
National 'Theatre, the abbrev. NT, also the Royal National Theatre a modern building on the SOUTH BANK in London containing three theatres, the Olivier, the Lyttelton, and the Cottesloe. It is the home of the Royal National Theatre Company, which is famous for the high quality of its actors and which performs a wide variety of serious plays, both old and modern. Some people think that the building is ugly.
National 'Trust, the n a British organization which owns and takes care of many beautiful places and historic buildings in England and Wales
National ,Union of 'Students, the → see NUS
National 'Weather ,Service, the the national organization that collects information about the weather in the US, and provides weather reports and warnings of dangerous weather conditions for newspapers, radio, and TV, and also for farmers, scientists, airports etc. There is a similar organization in the UK called the Met Office.
National ,Westminster 'Bank, the the full name of NatWest, one of the main British banks
na-tion-hood /'neɪʃənhʊd/ n [U] the state of being a nation
Nation of 'Islam, the a US black rights organization, which was founded in 1930 by Farad Mohammad. For many years its leader was Elijah MUHAMMAD until his death in 1975. Its members have included MALCOLM X and Muhammad ALI.
nation 'state n a nation forming a politically independent country → compare CITY-STATE
na-tion-wide /ˌneɪʃən'waɪd/, 'neɪʃənwad/ adj (used especially in newspapers, on the radio etc) happening, existing etc, over a whole country; NATIONAL: a nationwide search for the criminals | a nationwide broadcast (=heard everywhere in the country) —nationwide adv: The President's speech will be broadcast nationwide.
na-tive¹ /'neɪtɪv/ adj 1 [A] belonging to or being the place of one's birth: her native language | a visit by the Pope to his native Poland 2 [A] (of a person) belonging to a place from birth: a native New Yorker 3 [to] growing, living, produced, found etc in a place; not brought in from another place; INDIGENOUS: a plant native to the eastern US | a house built of native stone 4 [to] (of a quality) belonging to someone from birth; not learned; INNATE: native ability 5 [A] of or concerning the original people, especially the non-Europeans, of a place: a native village → see also NATIVE AMERICAN 6 go native infml, often humor (especially of tourists) to live in the manner of the people who usually live in a place: In Scotland he tried to go native by wearing a kilt.
native² n 1 [(of)] someone who was born in a place: a native of California 2 someone who lives in a place all the time or has lived there a long time: Are you a native here, or just a visitor? 3 [often pl.] (especially used by Europeans of non-Europeans) one of the original people living in a place: The government of the island treated the natives badly. 4 [(of)] a plant or animal living naturally in a place: The bear was once a native of Britain.
Native A'merican n a member of any of the original peoples of America, especially of the US and Canada, who lived there before white people arrived. Native Americans come from many different tribes, and each tribe has its own language and culture. → see picture on page A48
CULTURAL NOTE Native Americans used to be called Indians or sometimes even Red Indians by white people, but these names, especially Red Indians, are now usually considered offensive. The word American Indian also means Native American, but can also be used about the peoples of Central and South America. In the past, films and books showed Native Americans in a negative way, fighting COWBOYS, or being cruel to PIONEERS. The STEREOTYPE of a Native American was someone who did not wear many clothes, had paint on their face, feathers in their hair or in a type of hat, and who was very fierce. Films and books now try to show Native Americans in a fairer and more positive way. Many people admire the attitude that most Native Americans have toward the environment, which is that people should take care of the earth and only take what they need to live. When Europeans first came to America, many Native Americans suffered greatly and had to fight in order to defend their land, their way of life, and their CULTURE. Many Native Americans died from diseases that the Europeans brought to America. Starting around the 1850s, the US government also forced whole tribes to move far away from their own lands and onto RESERVATIONS (=separate areas of land for Native Americans to live on.) Often these lands were not very good for growing crops or raising animals. Many Native Americans still live on reservations today. Native Americans who live on reservations generally have lower wages, less education, and fewer jobs than the average US population. Many tribes are trying to improve their conditions, and some are also trying to start using old customs and religious practices again, to preserve their languages, and to get back some of their lost land. One of the ways that Native Americans can make money on their reservations is to have CASINOS on their land, so that people can come and GAMBLE. Because reservations follow FEDERAL law rather than state laws, gambling is allowed even in states that do not normally allow gambling.
native 'speaker n a person who has learned (a particular language) from birth, usually as a result of having parents who speak it and living in a country where most people speak it: a native speaker of English/an English native speaker/ native-speaker English
na-tiv-i-ty /nə'tɪvɪti/ n fml or pomp birth: the place of my nativity
Nativity n 1 the Nativity the story of the birth of Jesus Christ, as it is told in the NEW TESTAMENT of the BIBLE. Jesus's mother MARY and her husband JOSEPH have to travel from NAZARETH to BETHLEHEM to be recorded in a CENSUS (=when all the people in a country are officially counted). There is 'no room at the inn' (=no rooms available for them to stay in) so they have to stay in a STABLE with the animals. Jesus is born there, and he is laid in a MANGER (=a container that animals eat from) instead of a bed. A bright star, known as the STAR OF BETHLEHEM, appears in the sky to show the way to the place where he was born. Some SHEPHERDS who are looking after their sheep in fields are told by an ANGEL to go and visit Jesus in the stable. THREE WISE MEN who are kings in countries in the East also follow the star and come to visit Jesus, bringing gifts of gold FRANKINCENSE and MYRRH. 2 [C] a picture or model of the scene in the stable where he was born. Mary and Joseph are also there, and they are usually shown surrounded by the shepherds with their sheep, an OX, and an ASS and the Three Wise Men with their gifts.
na'tivity play n (often cap.) a play telling the story of the