Staatsvolk

German

Etymology

From Staat (“state, country”) +‎ Volk (“people”).

Pronunciation

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Noun

Staatsvolk n (strong, genitive Staatsvolkes or Staatsvolks, plural Staatsvölker)

1. all the national subjects of a sovereign country
2. (dated) those subjects belonging to the dominant ethnic group of a country, excluding minorities, especially those who belong to nations that have states of their own

Usage notes

• Contemporary definitions, e.g. on German wikipedia, generally follow definition 1. The ambiguity remains, however, relevant for the contemporary use of the word in German-language discourse.

See also

• Bevölkerung
• Nation
• Volk
• Staatsbürger
• Staatsnation