Uncle Sam
/ˌʌŋkl̩ ˈsæm/ · name
Meaning
- A personification of the United States federal government or (rare) citizens.
Etymology / origin
From uncle + Sam (diminutive of the male name Samuel), probably based on the initialism U.S. of the United States. While folk etymology suggests that the term was named after Samuel Wilson (1766–1854), a meat packer from Troy, New York, who supplied the United States Army with canned meat during the War of 1812 between the United States and the United Kingdom, the Oxford English Dictionary notes there is no evidence that this is the case.
Related words
Descendant words
- Paman Sam(Indonesian) (calque)
- Wuj Sam(Polish) (pcal)
- Tio Sam(Portuguese) (calque)
Sources
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