English Explanatory Dictionary

Rhode Island

English dictionary entry

Meanings

name
  1. The smallest state of the United States. Official name: State of Rhode Island.
  2. The official name of Aquidneck Island.

Pronunciation

/ˌɹoʊd ˈaɪ.lənd/ /ˌɹəʊd ˈaɪ.lənd/ en-us-ri-Rhode Island.ogg en-us-Rhode Island.ogg

Word forms

Rhode Island Rhod-Island Rhod Island Rode-Island Rode Island

Etymology

Originally spelled Rode-Island. From unstandardized Early Modern Dutch Roode Eylant (“Red Island”), after a description of Aquidneck Island given by navigator Adriaen Block: een rodlich Eylande (Modern Dutch een roodlijk eiland). Modern spelling due to influence from Rhodes, as Giovanni da Verrazzano had once likened an isle somewhere about the Narragansett Bay to it, though the precise identity of the isle he was referring to remains unknown. The earliest spelling showing influence from this is Rhod-Island.

Derived words

Rhode Island cheese Rhode Island currency Rhode Island dressing Rhode Islander Rhode Island johnnycake Rhode Island money Rhode Island Red Rhode Island sauce Rhode Island sloop RI
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