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definitions

heartland

[ hahrt-land, -luh nd ]
/ ˈhɑrtˌlænd, -lənd /
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noun

the part of a region considered essential to the viability and survival of the whole, especially a central land area relatively invulnerable to attack and capable of economic and political self-sufficiency.
any central area, as of a state, nation, or continent: a vineyard in California's heartland.

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RELATED WORDS

marrow, heart, substance, lining, inside, innards, soul, bosom, pith, viscera, belly, midst, pulp, contents, boondocks, central, hinterland, inward, provincial, midland

Nearby words

  1. heartful,
  2. hearth,
  3. hearthside,
  4. hearthstone,
  5. heartily,
  6. heartless,
  7. heartlessly,
  8. heartrending,
  9. hearts,
  10. hearts and flowers

Origin of heartland

First recorded in 1900–05; heart + land
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for heartland

British Dictionary definitions for heartland

heartland

/ (ˈhɑːtˌlænd) /

noun

the central region of a country or continent
the core or most vital areathe industrial heartland of England
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

Word Origin and History for heartland

heartland

n.

1904, first recorded in geo-political writings of English geographer H.J. MacKinder (1861-1947), from heart in figurative sense "center, core" + land (n.).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper