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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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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

See Examples For:

geneva Geneva

Gin is for geneva, a corruption of Fr. genièvre, Lat. juniperus, with the berries of which it is flavoured.

From The Romance of Words (4th ed.) by Weekley, Ernest

There are two distinct types of gin, namely, the Dutch geneva or hollands and the British gin.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 1 "Gichtel, Johann" to "Glory" by Various

Stourton was born in 1957 in Nigeria, where his father was working, and also spent time as a boy in Geneva.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

Zurich and Geneva are the world’s most expensive cities, New York and San Francisco also make the top five, while Luxembourg retains the top spot for the more subjective “quality of life.”

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026

Geneva Rajpute, who lives on the street where the shooting occurred, said she and neighbors “shouldn’t be afraid to go down the street” but that the shooting has left them shocked.

From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026

Negotiations have often gone late into the night, producing miniscule advances and leaving diplomats drained -- especially those from small countries with only a handful of staff in Geneva covering every branch of the UN.

From Barron's ● Jul. 6, 2026

At one garden party, he had an unexpected encounter with Robert Oppenheimer, who was in Geneva on other business.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik