Pennsylvania

[ pen-suh l-veyn-yuh, -vey-nee-uh ]
/ ˌpɛn səlˈveɪn yə, -ˈveɪ ni ə /

noun

a state in the E United States. 45,333 sq. mi. (117,410 sq. km). Capital: Harrisburg. Abbreviation: PA (for use with zip code), Pa., Penn., Penna.

Example sentences from the Web for pennsylvania

British Dictionary definitions for pennsylvania

Pennsylvania
/ (ˌpɛnsɪlˈveɪnɪə) /

noun

a state of the northeastern US: almost wholly in the Appalachians, with the Allegheny Plateau to the west and a plain in the southeast; the second most important US state for manufacturing. Capital: Harrisburg. Pop: 12 365 455 (2003 est). Area: 116 462 sq km (44 956 sq miles) Abbreviation: Pa, Penn, Penna, (with zip code) PA

Cultural definitions for pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

State in the northeastern United States bordered by Lake Erie and New York to the north; New Jersey to the east; Delaware, Maryland, and West Virginia to the south; and Ohio to the west. Its capital is Harrisburg, and its largest city is Philadelphia.

notes for Pennsylvania

One of the thirteen colonies.

notes for Pennsylvania

Named after the father of William Penn, a devout Quaker, who was granted proprietary rights by the king of England to almost the whole of what is now Pennsylvania in the late seventeenth century.