Americas

The Americas, also known as the New World, are lands in the Western Hemisphere that comprises the continents of North America and South America, along with their associated islands.

While the word American is usually used to mean a person or a thing from the United States, the most populated country in the Americas, it can be associated with entities in the Americas. The meaning of the word American in the English language varies according to the historical, geographical, and political context in which it is used. American is derived from America, a term originally denoting all of the Americas, i.e. the entire Western Hemisphere). In some expressions, it retains this Pan-American sense, but its usage has evolved over time and, for various historical reasons, the word came to denote people or things specifically from the United States of America.

In modern English, American generally refers to persons or things related to the USA; among native English speakers this usage is almost universal, with any other use of the term requiring specification. However, some linguists in the past have argued that "American" should be widened to also include people or things from anywhere in the American continents.