Appalachian

American  

[ap-uh-ley-chuhn, -ley-chee-uhn, -lach-ee-uhn, lach-uhn] / ˌæp əˈleɪ tʃən, -ˈleɪ tʃi ən, -ˈlætʃ i ən, ˈlætʃ ən /

adjective

1. of or relating to the Appalachian Mountains.

2. of or relating to the region of Appalachia, its inhabitants, or their culture.

3. Geology. of or relating to the orogeny and accompanying intrusion that occurred in eastern North America during the Pennsylvanian and Permian periods.

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noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Appalachia, especially one of predominantly Scotch-Irish, English, or German ancestry who exemplifies the characteristic cultural traditions of this region.

Etymology

Origin of Appalachian

First recorded in 1670–80; from Spanish Apalchen, Apalachen, perhaps from Apalachee (an extinct Muskogean language) abalahci “other side of the river” or from Hitchiti (an extinct Muskogean language) apalwahči “dwelling on one side”; the Spanish transcription of the name of a Muskogean village near Tallahassee in the Florida panhandle, recorded on the expedition led by Pánfilo de Narváez (1478?–1528), later altered by the Spanish to Apalachee and applied to the Indian tribe, the surrounding area and the hinterland north to the southern end of the Appalachian Mountains

Example Sentences

When the BBC visited in November, workers were busy knocking down a decrepit old barn, one of many that dot the Appalachian landscape.

From BBC

This goes far beyond the typical Appalachian tragedies people are used to ignoring.

From Salon

If the Shakers have a lasting cultural legacy, it is their music — most famously “Simple Gifts,” the uplifting spiritual Aaron Copland immortalized in his ballet “Appalachian Spring.”

From Los Angeles Times

Highland Scots and Appalachian Americans may be surprised that they have more in common with the political attitudes of Southeast Asian mountain folks than they could have imagined.

From The Wall Street Journal

When it was time for the Birmingham Bowl to find an opponent for Georgia Southern, a number of 5-7 teams reportedly turned down invitations before Appalachian State agreed to play.

From Los Angeles Times