geneva

[ juh-nee-vuh ]

noun

Origin of geneva

1
First recorded in 1700–10; from Dutch genever, from Old French genevre “juniper berries,” from assumed Vulgar Latin jeniperus, from Latin jūniperus “juniper tree, juniper wood, juniper berry”

Words Nearby geneva

Other definitions for Geneva (2 of 2)

Geneva
[ juh-nee-vuh ]

noun
  1. a city in and the capital of the canton of Geneva, in southwestern Switzerland, on the Lake of Geneva: seat of the League of Nations 1920–46.

  2. a canton in southwestern Switzerland. 109 sq. mi. (282 sq. km).

  1. Lake of Geneva. Also called Lake Leman [leyk-lee-muhn] /ˈleɪk ˈli mən/ . a lake between southwestern Switzerland and France. 45 miles (72 km) long; 225 sq. mi. (583 sq. km).

  2. a city in central New York.

  3. a female given name.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use geneva in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for Geneva

Geneva

/ (dʒɪˈniːvə) /


noun
  1. a city in SW Switzerland, in the Rhône valley on Lake Geneva: centre of Calvinism; headquarters of the International Red Cross (1864), the International Labour Office (1925), the League of Nations (1929–46), the World Health Organization, and the European office of the United Nations; banking centre. Pop: 177 500 (2002 est)

  2. a canton in SW Switzerland. Capital: Geneva. Pop: 419 300 (2002 est). Area: 282 sq km (109 sq miles): French name: Genève German name: Genf

  1. Lake Geneva a lake between SW Switzerland and E France: fed and drained by the River Rhône, it is the largest of the Alpine lakes; the surface is subject to considerable changes of level. Area: 580 sq km (224 sq miles): French name: Lac Léman German name: Genfersee

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for Geneva

Geneva

City in southwestern Switzerland, lying on the western end of Lake Geneva, where the Rhone River leaves the lake.

Notes for Geneva

Because of Switzerland's strict neutrality, Geneva provides an impartial meeting ground for representatives of other nations.

Notes for Geneva

The city housed the headquarters of the League of Nations in the Palace of Nations, which is now the European headquarters of the United Nations.

Notes for Geneva

The International Labor Organization, the International Red Cross, and the World Council of Churches are also based in Geneva.

Notes for Geneva

Under the leadership of John Calvin in the sixteenth century, Geneva was the center of Protestantism.

Notes for Geneva

The Geneva Accords were a group of four agreements made in 1954, ending seven and a half years of war in Indochina.

Notes for Geneva

The Geneva Conventions, signed first in 1864 and then in 1906, 1929, 1949, and 1977, provide rules for the humane treatment of prisoners and wounded persons during a war.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.