[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. |
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.