English Explanatory Dictionary

Pennsylvania

English dictionary entry

Meanings

name
  1. A state of the United States. Capital: Harrisburg. Largest city: Philadelphia.
  2. A former colony of England, from 1681 to 1707, and of Great Britain, from 1707 to 1776, which grew progressively larger before becoming the present state.
  3. The first, and historically largest, now defunct US railroad, a hallmark of the industrial age.
  4. An unincorporated community in Mobile County, Alabama, United States.
  5. A suburb of Exeter, Devon, England (OS grid ref SX9294).
  6. A hamlet in Cold Ashton parish, South Gloucestershire district, Gloucestershire, England (OS grid ref ST7473).

Pronunciation

/ˌpɛn.sɪlˈveɪ.ni.ə/ /ˌpɛn.sɪlˈveɪn.jə/ /ˌpɛn.səlˈveɪ.ni.ə/ /ˌpɛn.səlˈveɪn.jə/ en-us-Pennsylvania.ogg

Word forms

Pennsylvania Pensylvania Pensilvania

Etymology

Etymology tree English Penn English sylvan Proto-Indo-European *-yós Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin -iader. English -ia English Pennsylvania From Penn (“William Penn”) + sylvan (“woods”) + -ia (“land”). On March 4, 1681, Charles II of England granted a land tract to William Penn for the area that now includes Pennsylvania. Penn then founded a colony there as a place of religious freedom for Quakers, and named it for the Latin sylva, silva (“wood”), thus Pennsylvania (“Penn’s woods”). Some propose that the Penn is derived from William’s more respected father, also named William Penn.

Synonyms

PA The Keystone State

Related words

Pittsylvania Spotsylvania sylvan Sylvania Transylvania

Derived words

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania PA Pennamite Penn Station Pennsyltucky Pennsylvania Avenue Pennsylvania barn Pennsylvania Dutch English Pennsylvania German Pennsylvanian Pennsylvania rifle Pennsylvania sedge Pistolvania Westsylvania
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