Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

American \A*mer"i*can\, a. [Named from Americus Vespucius.]
   1. Of or pertaining to America; as, the American continent:
      American Indians.

   2. Of or pertaining to the United States. ``A young officer
      of the American navy.'' --Lyell.

   {American ivy}. See {Virginia creeper}.

   {American Party} (U. S. Politics), a party, about 1854, which
      opposed the influence of foreign-born citizens, and those
      supposed to owe allegiance to a foreign power.

   {Native american Party} (U. S. Politics), a party of
      principles similar to those of the American party. It
      arose about 1843, but soon died out.

Source : WordNet®

American Party
     n : a former political party in the United States; active in the
         1850s to keep power out of the hands of immigrants and
         Roman Catholics [syn: {Know-Nothing Party}]