ENGLISH
REFERENCE

pennsylvania

n. countable
B1 Intermediate US //ˌpɛnsəɫˈveɪnjə// penn·syl·va·nia Archaic

n. a large state in the northeastern United States. It is famous for its history, including the city of Philadelphia where the country was founded.

n. a state located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. One of the original thirteen colonies, it is historically significant as the site of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.


SIMPLE

My cousin lives in a small town in Pennsylvania.

CONTEXTUAL

Many tourists visit Pennsylvania every year to see the historic battlefields and the Liberty Bell.

COMPLEX

The industrial heritage of Pennsylvania, particularly its steel and coal production, played a pivotal role in the economic development of the United States during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Synonyms
Origin

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.

Usage

As a proper noun, it is always capitalized and typically used without an article.

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