peninsula

[ puh-nin-suh-luh, -nins-yuh-luh ]
See synonyms for peninsula on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. an area of land almost completely surrounded by water except for an isthmus connecting it with the mainland.

  2. the Peninsula,

    • Spain and Portugal together; Iberian Peninsula; Iberia.

    • a district in SE Virginia between the York and James rivers: Civil War battles.

Origin of peninsula

1
1530–40; <Latin paenīnsula, equivalent to paen-pen- + īnsula island

Other words from peninsula

  • pen·in·su·lar, adjective
  • pen·in·su·lar·ism, pen·in·su·lar·i·ty [puh-nin-suh-lar-i-tee, -nins-yuh-], /pəˌnɪn səˈlær ɪ ti, -ˌnɪns yə-/, noun
  • trans·pen·in·su·lar, adjective

Words that may be confused with peninsula

Words Nearby peninsula

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use peninsula in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for peninsula (1 of 2)

peninsula

/ (pɪˈnɪnsjʊlə) /


noun
  1. a narrow strip of land projecting into a sea or lake from the mainland

Origin of peninsula

1
C16: from Latin, literally: almost an island, from paene pene- + insula island

usage For peninsula

The noun peninsula is sometimes confused with the adjective peninsular: the Iberian peninsula (not peninsular)

Derived forms of peninsula

  • peninsular, adjective

British Dictionary definitions for Peninsula (2 of 2)

Peninsula

noun
  1. the Peninsula short for the Iberian Peninsula

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for peninsula

peninsula

[ pə-nĭnsyə-lə ]


  1. A piece of land that projects into a body of water and is connected with a larger landmass.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for peninsula

peninsula

A body of land enclosed on three sides by water, jutting out from a larger body of land.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.