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• geneva
  geneva

  noun

  Hollands.
• Geneva
  Geneva

  noun

  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.

geneva

¹ American  

[juh-nee-vuh] / dʒəˈni və /

noun

1. Hollands.

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Geneva ² American  

[juh-nee-vuh] / dʒəˈni və /

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).

3. Also called Lake Leman.  Lake of Geneva. a lake between southwestern Switzerland and France. 45 miles (72 km) long; 225 sq. mi. (583 sq. km).

4. a city in central New York.

5. a female given name.

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Geneva British  

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

3. German name: Genfersee.  French name: Lac Léman.  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)

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Geneva Cultural  

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

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Discover More

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

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

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

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

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.

Etymology

Origin of geneva

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”

Example Sentences

In addition to missing peace negotiations with Iran in Islamabad, Pakistan, he did not attend meetings in Doha and Geneva.

From Salon • May 5, 2026

The Geneva company cited demand from its personal electronics and its communications equipment & computer peripherals divisions for the revenue growth.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 23, 2026

With the demise of the Baselworld salon following the Covid-19 pandemic, Watches and Wonders in Geneva has established itself as the pinnacle showcase for watchmaking in Switzerland.

From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026

In Geneva, they were discussing a new deal on the nuclear file, including the fate of Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium that could be used to make a nuclear weapon.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

“I am a military emissary caught in enemy territory masquerading as a civilian. I count as a spy. The Geneva Convention doesn’t protect me.”

From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein