"fellow countryman", from "of one's fathers", "fatherland". The term patriot was "applied to barbarians who were perceived to be either uncivilized or primitive and who had only a common Patris or fatherland." The original European meaning of patriots applied to anyone who was a fellow countryman regardless of the socio-economic status.

Patriotism and nationalism originally shared a similar meaning in the 19th century, but their meanings and connotations gradually diverged. The Merriam-Webster defines