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Usonia
Definitions
- 1 The United States of America; a mononymous name for the country that does not convey the ambiguity of "America".
"And in Usonia's mighty Lan'— / What almost seems beyond belief— / An offshoot of the Irvine clan / Is honor'd as the nation's chief! We of the United States, in justice to Canadians and Mexicans, have no right to use the title "Americans" when referring to matters pertaining exclusively to ourselves. […] [I] have been inclined to give my vote to the writer that first suggested "Usona", which is formed from the initials of "United States of North America". The assonance of "Usonans", however, has always been distasteful, […] A much more euphonious word is "Usonia" and as it represents in a similar way the "United States of Northern Independent America" […] a dignified name to designate our land, our people and our nation—" Usonia", "Usonian" and "Usonians" sounding equally well. It has also to US Scots the added merit of making a good rhyme to Caledonia, and thus knitting more closely together both Usonians and Caledonians. (dated 18th June, 1903)"
- 2 A utopian vision of the United States according to Frank Lloyd Wright.
"[Wright] also refers to 'the great Usonian Life, the universal life of our own true democracy' and 'the road to Freedom in Usonia'. The association of USA and utopia is inescapable […]"
- 3 A community in New York State designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in his Usonian style.
"THEY NAMED THEIR COMMUNITY of forty-seven homes near Pleasantville, New York, "Usonia" in homage to Frank Lloyd Wright, whose ideas on the way Americans should live together guided their plan."
- 4 In geopolitical and international economic modeling, a prototype superpower that, in competing with an antagonistic superpower Russonia (the Soviet Union), allows Thirdonia (a hypothetical neutral Third World country) to extract considerable wealth from both. rare
"Suppose two powerful, industrialized countries, called Usonia and Russonia, compete by mean of capital exports and other forms of "aid" for influence in various underdeveloped countries, typified by Thirdonia."
Etymology
From Usona (acronym of the United States of North America) + -ia. The word is known today primarily due to the writings of Frank Lloyd Wright, who first used it in 1925. However, it was used (and perhaps coined) by James Law in 1903 (see quotation below), before it is thought Wright was exposed to it.
See also for "usonia"
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