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Illinois

 - 4 dictionary results

Il⋅li⋅nois

  [il-uh-noi, -noiz]
Use Illinois in a Sentence
–noun
1. a state in the central United States: a part of the Midwest. 11,418,461; 56,400 sq. mi. (146,075 sq. km). Capital: Springfield. Abbreviation: IL (for use with zip code), Ill.
2. a river flowing SW from NE Illinois to the Mississippi River: connected by a canal with Lake Michigan. 273 mi. (440 km) long.
Pronunciation note:
The pronunciation of Illinois with a final [z] , which occurs chiefly among less educated speakers, is least common in Illinois itself, increasing in frequency as distance from the state increases.

Il⋅li⋅nois

  [il-uh-noi or, sometimes, -noiz]
–noun, plural -nois [-noi, -noiz] .
1. a member of a confederacy of North American Indians of Algonquian stock, formerly occupying Illinois and adjoining regions westward.
2. the Algonquian language of the Illinois and Miami Indians.
Origin:
1715–25, Americanism; < F, earlier Eriniouai, Ilinoués, etc. < an unidentified Algonquian language, appar. lit., one who sounds normal (i.e., speaks an Algonquian language), if equiv. to Proto-Algonquian *elen- ordinary + *-we⋅ make sound
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Illinois
Il·li·nois 1   (ĭl'ə-noi')   
n.   pl. Illinois

    1. A confederacy of Native American peoples formerly inhabiting southern Wisconsin, northern Illinois, and parts of eastern Iowa and Missouri, with present-day descendants mostly in Oklahoma.

    2. A member of this confederacy.

  2. The Algonquian language of the Illinois.


[French, of Algonquian origin.]
Il·li·nois 2   (ĭl'ə-noi')   
A state of the north-central United States. It was admitted as the 21st state in 1818. The area was explored by the French in the late 1600s, ceded by France to the British in 1763, and ceded by them to the newly formed United States in 1783. Springfield is the capital and Chicago the largest city. Population: 12,900,000.
Il'li·nois'an (-noi'ən) adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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