In fact, it was often used in England as a term of ridicule to mean "loyal and disinterested supporter of one's country." What is even more amusing, as journalist Oriana Fallaci points out, is that while Americans are so fond of patriotic, patriot and patriotism, lack the root noun and are content to express the idea of patria (the proper noun that's never used) by cumbersome compounds such as homeland.
The French? Oh yeah, that have a noun for that: patrie.