Etymology

macronation

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Today it means: An internationally recognised country, as opposed to a micronation; a sovereign state, especially a member or observer state of the United Nations. Full definition →

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macronation · noun1

From macro- (“large”) + nation (“a country; a sovereign state”). The micronational sense was likely formed as an antonym of micronation, which was derived from micro- (“small”) + nation (“country”). First attested on 26 November 1996 (see quotations).

macronation · noun2

From macro- (“large”) + nation (“a historically constituted, stable community of people, formed based on a common language, territory, economic life or ethnicity”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.