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Appalachian

American  
[ap-uh-lay-chuhn, -lay-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:

Perhaps Jets and Browns fans can join each other in a stimulating traipse down the Appalachian Trail.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

"If I know what you're feeding my meat, my veg, my everything, it's going to come out as a better product," said Green, who runs the kitchen at The Appalachian restaurant.

From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026

Parton, who died this week aged 80, launched the philanthropic effort in 1995 to honour her father - whose difficult Appalachian upbringing never allowed him to finish school or learn to read and write.

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026

No wonder Vance didn’t immediately issue a statement praising his fellow Appalachian, leaving the job to his wife, Usha.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

The Appalachian Trail is the hardest thing I have ever done, and the Maine portion was the hardest part of the Appalachian Trail, and by a factor I couldn’t begin to compute.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson

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