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Mississippi

[mis-uh-sip-ee]
noun
  1. a state in the S United States. 47,716 sq. mi. (123,585 sq. km). Capital: Jackson. Abbreviation: MS (for use with zip code), Miss.
  2. a river flowing S from N Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico: the principal river of the U.S. 2470 miles (3975 km) long; from the headwaters of the Missouri to the Gulf of Mexico 3988 miles (6418 km) long.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for mississippi river

Mississippi

noun
  1. a state of the southeastern US, on the Gulf of Mexico: consists of a largely forested undulating plain, with swampy regions in the northwest and on the coast, the Mississippi River forming the W border; cotton, rice, and oil. Capital: Jackson. Pop: 2 881 281 (2003 est). Area: 122 496 sq km (47 296 sq miles)Abbreviation: Miss, (with zip code) MS
  2. a river in the central US, rising in NW Minnesota and flowing generally south to the Gulf of Mexico through several mouths, known as the Passes: the second longest river in North America (after its tributary, the Missouri), with the third largest drainage basin in the world (after the Amazon and the Congo). Length: 3780 km (2348 miles)
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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 mississippi river

Mississippi

originally as the name of the river, from French, from Algonquian (French missionaries first penetrated the river valley in its upper reaches), literally "big river;" cf. Ojibwa mshi- "big," ziibi "river." Organized as a U.S. territory 1798; admitted as a state 1817. Related: Mississippian.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
mississippi river in Culture

Mississippi River

The longest river in the United States, flowing over two thousand miles from Minnesota to Louisiana and into the Gulf of Mexico.

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Mississippi

State in the southern United States bordered by Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico and Louisiana to the south, and Louisiana and Arkansas to the west. Its capital and largest city is Jackson.

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Note

Its name comes from the Mississippi River, which forms most of the state's western border.

Note

One of the Confederate states during the Civil War.
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.