Nova Scotia

American  

[noh-vuh skoh-shuh] / ˈnoʊ və ˈskoʊ ʃə /

noun

1. a peninsula and province in SE Canada: once a part of the French province of Acadia. 21,068 sq. mi. (54,565 sq. km). Halifax.

2. Informal. Nova Scotia salmon.

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Nova Scotia British  

/ ˈnəʊvə ˈskəʊʃə /

noun

1. a peninsula in E Canada, between the Gulf of St Lawrence and the Bay of Fundy

2. a province of E Canada, consisting of the Nova Scotia peninsula and Cape Breton Island: first settled by the French as Acadia. Capital: Halifax. Pop: 936 960 (2004 est). Area: 52 841 sq km (20 402 sq miles)

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Nova Scotia Cultural  

1. Province in eastern Canada, including a peninsula to the east of New Brunswick and Cape Breton Island, as well as several smaller adjacent islands. With New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia makes up the Maritime Provinces. Halifax is its capital and largest city.

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Discover More

French settlers, who called the area Acadia, were expelled by the British in the 1750s. Many of the exiled Acadians settled in Louisiana and became the ancestors of today's Cajuns.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• Nova Scotian
  adjective

Example Sentences

Bank of Montreal, Bank of Nova Scotia and National Bank of Canada kicked off earnings season for Canada’s largest lenders with plans to lift their dividends.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026

Massive infrastructure projects generally take longer than political honeymoons like the one Carney is enjoying, warns Alex Marland, professor of Canadian politics at Acadia University in Nova Scotia.

From Barron's • Apr. 23, 2026

On his odyssey out of slavery, David George settled in the Carolinas, then Nova Scotia and finally Sierra Leone.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

The fossil was found on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, a location known for difficult and sometimes dangerous fieldwork.

From Science Daily • Feb. 11, 2026

What restaurant did I eat at / What’s the distance from Nova Scotia to British Columbia / Do you know the time in London?

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse