Peru

[ puh-roo ]

noun
  1. Spanish Pe·rú [pe-roo]. /pɛˈru/. a republic in western South America. 496,222 sq. mi. (1,285,215 sq. km). Capital: Lima.

  2. a city in north-central Indiana.

  1. a city in northern Illinois.

Other words from Peru

  • Pe·ru·vi·an [puh-roo-vee-uhn], /pəˈru vi ən/, adjective, noun
  • non-Pe·ru·vi·an, adjective, noun

Words Nearby Peru

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

How to use Peru in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for Peru

Peru

/ (pəˈruː) /


noun
  1. a republic in W South America, on the Pacific: the centre of the great Inca Empire when conquered by the Spanish in 1532; gained independence in 1824 by defeating Spanish forces with armies led by San Martín and Bolívar; consists of a coastal desert, rising to the Andes; an important exporter of minerals and a major fishing nation. Official languages: Spanish, Quechua, and Aymara. Official religion: Roman Catholic. Currency: nuevo sol. Capital: Lima. Pop: 29 849 303 (2013 est). Area: 1 285 215 sq km (496 222 sq miles)

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 Peru

Peru

Republic in western South America, bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the west, Ecuador to the northwest, Colombia to the northeast, Brazil and Bolivia to the east, and Chile to the south. Its capital and largest city is Lima.

Notes for Peru

Achieved independence from Spain in 1821.

Notes for Peru

Peru was the heart of the Inca Empire, which flourished from the twelfth to the sixteenth centuries. The remains of the empire include the fabled stone fortress of Machu Picchu.

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.