Lusitania

American  

[loo-si-tay-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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Lusitania

"Asterix in Lusitania" was the 41st instalment in the legendary series, taking him to the far reaches of the Roman Empire, in an adventure now created by author Fabcaro and illustrator Didier Conrad.

From Barron's ● Dec. 2, 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

The firm was commissioned to decorate more than 100 ship interiors, including Cunard 'Queen' liners and RMS Lusitania.

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2022

Following the outcry over the Lusitania, Germany imposed strict limitations on submarine operations, pledging to warn those on board a vessel about to be attacked so they could abandon ship beforehand.

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

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