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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.


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.

appalachian British  
/ ˌæpəˈleɪtʃɪən /

adjective

  1. of, from, or relating to the Appalachian Mountains

  2. geology of or relating to an episode of mountain building in the late Palaeozoic era during which the Appalachian Mountains were formed

"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

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

It now attracts four million visitors a year and employs more than 4,000 people, bringing much-needed economic support for the struggling communities of the Appalachian Mountains.

From Barron's Aug. 26, 2026

His daughter, though, was a voracious reader, becoming a champion of Appalachian authors like Adriana Trigiani, Lee Smith and Silas House, and seeing literacy and education as its own kind of salvation.

From Salon Aug. 26, 2026

The deal strengthens Equinor’s integrated power strategy by combining power generation with its own significant gas operations in the Appalachian Mountains, he says.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 18, 2026

It wasn’t accidental how the Appalachian Trail became my family’s backbone.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 15, 2026

Our water is the Appalachian wilderness, our boats, the army surplus jeeps we count on to navigate our washboard roads and the hairpin curves across the mountains.

From "Jacob Have I Loved" by Katherine Paterson

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