Lusitania

American  

[loo-si-tey-nee-uh] / ˌlu sɪˈteɪ ni ə /

noun

1. (italics) a British luxury liner sunk by a German submarine in the North Atlantic Ocean on May 7, 1915: one of the events leading to U.S. entry into World War I.

2. an ancient region and Roman province in the Iberian Peninsula, corresponding generally to modern Portugal.

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Lusitania British  

/ ˌluːsɪˈteɪnɪə /

noun

1. an ancient region of the W Iberian Peninsula: a Roman province from 27 _bc to the late 4th century _ad ; corresponds to most of present-day Portugal and the Spanish provinces of Salamanca and Cáceres

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Lusitania Cultural  

1. A British passenger ship sunk by a German submarine off the coast of Ireland in 1915. Germany, then at war with Britain but not with the United States (see World War I), had warned Americans against traveling on the ship. More than a hundred Americans died in the sinking. The incident worsened relations between Germany and the United States and encouraged American involvement in the war.

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Other Word Forms

• Lusitanian adjective

Example Sentences

"Asterix in Lusitania" is the 41st instalment in the legendary French comic book series, taking him to the far reaches of the Roman Empire, 66 years after his creation by Rene Goscinny and Albert Uderzo.

From Barron's • Oct. 23, 2025

But as happened elsewhere in the country, much of L.A.’s public German community went to ground after May 1915, when a German U-boat sank the British ocean liner Lusitania.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 8, 2025

Shipwrecks like the RMS Titanic, RMS Lusitania and USS Monitor conjure tales of human courage and sacrifice, sunken treasure and unsolved mysteries.

From Salon • Dec. 30, 2023

In April 1917, the United States, already angered by the sinking of the Lusitania and the Sussex, entered the conflict on the side of the Allied powers.

From Textbooks • Dec. 14, 2022

The sinking of the Lusitania shocked the American people, helped turn public opinion against Germany, and almost caused the United States to break off relations with Germany.

From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman