Patriot

The word patriot comes to us from the Middle French and Late Latin word, patriota, which means countryman. Dig a little further to the Greek and it means “from the same country” and ultimately to its root, patris which means “fatherland”.

The term “patriot” was first seen in the Elizabethan era (1558-1603) and according to the Oxford English dictionary, “patriotism ” began appearing in the 18th century.

The solid definition as to what makes a patriot is wide and varied. For the most part, it simply means someone who loves, supports and defends their country. People who are overzealous in this can sometimes be considered “jingoistic”. People that want to spread that love of country into other countries through various means can sometimes be considered “nationalistic”.

Happy Fourth of July and please be safe, have fun, and avoid the -ics!