1.nounA historically constituted, stable community of people, formed on the basis of a common language, territory, economic life, ethnicity and/or psychological make-up manifested in a common culture.
"The Kurdish people constitute a nation in the Middle East"
2.nounA sovereign state.
"Though legally single nations, many states comprise several distinct cultural or ethnic groups."
3.nounAn association of students based on its members' birthplace or ethnicity.
"Once widespread across Europe in medieval times, nations are now largely restricted to the ancient universities of Sweden and Finland."