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definitions

merida

[mer-i-duh]
|

noun

suntan(def 2).

Origin of merida

apparently after Mérida, Mexico

Mérida

[me-ree-th ah]

noun

a city in and the capital of Yucatán, in SE Mexico.
a city in W Venezuela.

Yucatán

[yoo-kuh-tan; Spanish yoo-kah-tahn]

noun

a peninsula in SE Mexico and N Central America comprising parts of SE Mexico, N Guatemala, and Belize.
a state in SE Mexico, in N Yucatán Peninsula. 14,868 sq. mi. (38,510 sq. km). Capital: Mérida.
Also Yu·ca·tan [yoo-kuh-tan] /ˌyu kəˈtæn/.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for merida

Contemporary Examples of merida

Historical Examples of merida

  • The official date of the founding of the city of Merida was Jan. 6, 1542.

  • The capital city, Merida, lies in the north-west part of the state.

    Mexico

    Charles Reginald Enock

  • The crop of sisal-hemp is shipped mainly from Progresso and Merida.

    Commercial Geography

    Jacques W. Redway

  • And Merida is in no sense a noble city; never has been and never can be.

    The American Egypt

    Channing Arnold

  • There are hundreds of these cabs in Merida, and everybody uses them all the time.

    The American Egypt

    Channing Arnold

British Dictionary definitions for merida

Mérida

noun

a city in SE Mexico, capital of Yucatán state: founded in 1542 on the site of the ancient Mayan city of T'ho; centre of the henequen industry; university. Pop: 919 000 (2005 est)
a city in W Venezuela: founded in 1558 by Spanish conquistadores; University of Los Andes (1785). Pop: 319 000 (2005 est)
a market town in W Spain, in Extremadura, on the Guadiana River: founded in 25 bc; became the capital of Lusitania and one of the chief cities of Iberia. Pop: 52 110 (2003 est)Latin name: Augusta Emerita

Yucatán

noun

a state of SE Mexico, occupying the N part of the Yucatán peninsula. Capital: Mérida. Pop: 1 655 707 (2000). Area: 39 340 sq km (15 186 sq miles)
a peninsula of Central America between the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, including the Mexican states of Campeche, Yucatán, and Quintana Roo, and part of Belize: a centre of Mayan civilization from about 100 bc to the 18th century. Area: about 181 300 sq km (70 000 sq miles)
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 merida

Yucatan

said to be from a local word meaning "massacre."

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
merida in Culture

Yucatán

[(yooh-kuh-tan, yooh-kuh-tahn)]

Peninsula mostly in southeastern Mexico, separating the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Mexico.

Note

It is the location of many Mayan ruins.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.