[il-uh-noi, -noiz] 
| 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. |
[z] , which occurs chiefly among less educated speakers, is least common in Illinois itself, increasing in frequency as distance from the state increases. [il-uh-noi or, sometimes, -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. |
| Il·li·nois 1 (ĭl'ə-noi') n. pl. 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. |
State in the north-central United States bordered on the north by Wisconsin, the east by Indiana, the south by Kentucky, and the west by Missouri and Iowa. Its capital is Springfield, and its largest city is Chicago.
Note: Known as the “Land of Lincoln” because Abraham Lincoln began his political career there.
