Nationaal

Nationaal is a Dutch adjective meaning national, relating to a nation or nation-state. It is used to describe things that pertain to or concern the country as a political and cultural unit. The term derives from Latin natio meaning "birth, people, nation" and entered Dutch through the historical influence of French and other Latin-based languages. It is cognate with the English "national" and with similar forms in many European languages.

In Dutch usage, nationaal appears in contexts including politics, law, culture, and sport. Examples include nationaal beleid (national policy), nationaal kampioenschap (national championship), and nationaal erfgoed (national heritage). It is also used in the names of institutions or official bodies, such as Nationaal Archief, where capitalization marks a proper name. The word is commonly contrasted with internationaal (international), regionaal (regional), and lokaal (local).

Historically, the adoption of nationaal parallels the growth of nation-states and modern governance in the Dutch-speaking world from the early modern period onward. The form is one of several adjectives formed with the -aal suffix that denote relation to a larger category or domain. In contemporary Dutch, nationaal is a standard term across formal and everyday language, maintaining clear compatibility with related terms and with legal and governmental terminology.