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Greenland

 [green-luhnd, -land]   Origin

Green·land

   [green-luhnd, -land]
noun
a self-governing island belonging to Denmark, located NE of North America: the largest island in the world. 55,558; about 844,000 sq. mi. (2,186,000 sq. km); over 700,000 sq. mi. (1,800,000 sq. km) icecapped. Capital: Godthåb.
Related forms
Green·land·er, noun
Green·land·ish, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
Greenland (ˈɡriːnlənd)
 
—n
Danish name: Grønland, Greenlandic name: Kalaallit Nunaat a large island, lying mostly within the Arctic Circle off the NE coast of North America: first settled by Icelanders in 986; resettled by Danes from 1721 onwards; integral part of Denmark (1953--79); granted internal autonomy 1979; mostly covered by an icecap up to 3300 m (11 000 ft) thick, with ice-free coastal strips and coastal mountains; the population is largely Inuit, with a European minority; fishing, hunting, and mining. Capital: Nuuk (Godthåb). Pop: 57 000 (2003 est). Area: 175 600 sq km (840 000 sq miles)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

Greenland
O.N. Groenland, so named by its discoverer (986 C.E.) because "it would induce settlers to go there, if the land had a good name": "Hann gaf nafn landinu ok kallaði Groenland, ok kvað menn þat myndu fysa þangat farar, at landit ætti nafn gott." [Islendingabok, 1122-1133]
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary

Greenland definition


Island lying largely within the Arctic Circle; owned by Denmark but governed locally since 1978. Its native name is Kaballit Nunaat.

Note: Greenland is the largest island in the world. (Australia is larger but is officially a continent, not an island.)
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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