ILLINOIS Definition & Meaning

Illinois

[ il-uh-noior, sometimes, -noiz ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

plural Illinois

a member of a confederacy of North American Indians of Algonquian stock, formerly occupying Illinois and adjoining regions westward.
the Algonquian language of the Illinois and Miami Indians.

Illinois

[ il-uh-noior, sometimes, -noiz ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

a state in the central United States: a part of the Midwest. 56,400 sq. mi. (146,075 sq. km). : Springfield. : IL (for use with zip code), Ill.
a river flowing southwest from northeastern Illinois to the Mississippi River: connected by a canal with Lake Michigan. 273 miles (440 km) long.

Illinois

/ ˌɪ��ɪˈ��ɔɪ /

noun

a state of the N central US, in the Midwest: consists of level prairie crossed by the Illinois and Kaskaskia Rivers; mainly agricultural. Capital: Springfield. Pop: 12 653 544 (2003 est). Area: 144 858 sq km (55 930 sq miles) AbbreviationIll.with zip codeIL
a river in Illinois, flowing SW to the Mississippi. Length: 439 km (273 miles)

Illinois

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 .

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Pronunciation Note

The pronunciation of Illinois with a final [z], which occurs chiefly among less educated speakers, is least common in Illinois itself, increasing in frequency as distance from the state increases.

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Notes

Known as the “Land of Lincoln” because Abraham Lincoln began his political career there.

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of Illinois¹

1715–25, Americanism; < French, earlier Eriniouai, Ilinoués, etc., from an unidentified Algonquian language, apparently literally, “one who sounds normal” (i.e., “a person who speaks an Algonquian language”), equivalent to the (unattested) Proto-Algonquian elements elen- “ordinary” + -we “make sound”

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

An Illinois landlord who fatally stabbed a six-year-old Palestinian-American boy and severely wounded his mother has been sentenced to 53 years in prison.

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The “swatting” incidents he organized in 2020 took place in California, Michigan, Montana, Georgia, Virginia, Texas, Illinois, Florida and Alabama.

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Four people, including children, were killed and several others injured when a vehicle drove through a building used by an after-school camp in Illinois.

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Joining California in the lawsuit were the attorneys general of Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota and New York.

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At the time, Wallace was living and teaching in Illinois, and instead of finding an agent in New York, he’d connected with Bonnie Nadell in Los Angeles.

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Illinoian Illinoisan

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