Illinois

¹

[il-uh-noi, -noiz]

noun

plural

Illinois 

1. a member of a confederacy of North American Indians of Algonquian stock, formerly occupying Illinois and adjoining regions westward.

2. the Algonquian language of the Illinois and Miami Indians.

Illinois

²

[il-uh-noi, -noiz]

noun

1. a state in the central United States: a part of the Midwest. 56,400 sq. mi. (146,075 sq. km). Springfield. IL (for use with zip code), Ill.

2. a river flowing southwest from northeastern Illinois to the Mississippi River: connected by a canal with Lake Michigan. 273 miles (440 km) long.

Illinois

/ ˌɪlɪˈnɔɪ /

noun

1. Abbreviation: Ill..  IL. a state of the N central US, in the Midwest: consists of level prairie crossed by the Illinois and Kaskaskia Rivers; mainly agricultural. Capital: Springfield. Pop: 12 653 544 (2003 est). Area: 144 858 sq km (55 930 sq miles)

2. a river in Illinois, flowing SW to the Mississippi. Length: 439 km (273 miles)

Illinois

1. State in the north-central United States bordered on the north by Wisconsin, the east by Indiana, the south by Kentucky, and the west by Missouri and Iowa. Its capital is Springfield, and its largest city is Chicago.

Pronunciation Note

The pronunciation of Illinois with a final , which occurs chiefly among less educated speakers, is least common in Illinois itself, increasing in frequency as distance from the state increases.

Known as the “Land of Lincoln” because Abraham Lincoln began his political career there.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Illinois¹

1715–25, < French, earlier Eriniouai, Ilinoués, etc., from an unidentified Algonquian language, apparently literally, “one who sounds normal” (i.e., “a person who speaks an Algonquian language”), equivalent to the (unattested) Proto-Algonquian elements elen- “ordinary” + -we “make sound”

Example Sentences

Other blue states saw even greater reductions, with Illinois seeing a 69% reduction and New York receiving a 79% reduction, it said.

From Los Angeles Times

A recent study by Stanford University and the University of Illinois found that the Midwest is particularly at risk for crop-yield losses, even with modern farming adaptations.

From Salon

Workers, backed by the union, filed lawsuits over the dress code in Illinois and Colorado, and lodged complaints with California’s Labor and Workforce Development Agency.

From Los Angeles Times

All that, however, would be washed away with that loose ball in the end zone, the second fumble Illinois had coughed up that close to the end zone.

From Los Angeles Times

Illinois hasn’t had much success rattling capable quarterbacks this season.

From Los Angeles Times