n. 1. An inhabitant; a resident: denizens of Buenos Aires; turtles and other swamp denizens. 2. One that frequents a particular place: a bar and its denizens; denizens of the deep sea. 3. Chiefly British A foreigner who is granted rights of residence and sometimes of citizenship. tr.v. den·i·zened, den·i·zen·ing, den·i·zens Chiefly British To make a denizen of; grant rights of residence to. [Middle English denisein, from Anglo-Norman denzein, from deinz, within, from Late Latin deintus, from within; see DEDANS.] den′i·zen·ation n. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.