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• peninsula
  peninsula

  noun

  an area of land almost completely surrounded by water except for an isthmus connecting it with the mainland.
• Peninsula
  Peninsula

  noun

  short for the Iberian Peninsula

peninsula

American  

[puh-nin-suh-luh, -nins-yuh-luh] / pəˈnɪn sə lə, -ˈnɪns yə lə /

noun

1. an area of land almost completely surrounded by water except for an isthmus connecting it with the mainland.

2. the Peninsula,

   1. Spain and Portugal together; Iberian Peninsula; Iberia.

   2. a district in SE Virginia between the York and James rivers: Civil War battles.

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peninsula ¹ British  

/ pɪˈnɪnsjʊlə /

noun

1. a narrow strip of land projecting into a sea or lake from the mainland

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Peninsula ² British  

noun

1. short for the Iberian Peninsula

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peninsula Scientific  

/ pə-nĭn′syə-lə /

1. A piece of land that projects into a body of water and is connected with a larger landmass.

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peninsula Cultural  

1. A body of land enclosed on three sides by water, jutting out from a larger body of land.

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Usage

The noun peninsula is sometimes confused with the adjective peninsular: the Iberian peninsula (not peninsular )

Other Word Forms

• peninsular
  adjective
• peninsularism
  noun
• peninsularity
  noun
• transpeninsular
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of peninsula

1530–40; < Latin paenīnsula, equivalent to paen- pen- + īnsula island

Explanation

Part of Italy is a peninsula, and it's a pretty famous one, because it looks like a boot. A peninsula juts into the water but has at least a narrow a connection to land. If the boot broke off from Italy just below the "knee," it would be an island. The word peninsula, which entered English in the 16th century, comes from the Latin words paene, "almost," and insula, "island." Some confuse an island with a peninsula because both are surrounded by so much water, but a peninsula is connected to a mainland at some point, while an island is completely encircled by water. In most cases, a peninsula is narrow and long, resembling an arm or leg.

Example Sentences

In another sign of its hardening stance, North Korea deleted all references to uniting the divided peninsula from its constitution, an AFP review of the latest version this week showed.

From Barron's • May 8, 2026

Such signs are now a fixture in Coronado, an upscale resort city on a slender peninsula in San Diego Bay, known for some of America’s best beaches.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026

After that, hurricanes Ian, Idalia, Helene, and Milton all made landfall on the peninsula.

From Slate • Apr. 20, 2026

Planes taking off from there will be forced to bypass much of the Iberian peninsula - either by flying over the eastern Atlantic or over France.

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026

Not part of mainland Mexico, Ensenada was located on the long, narrow peninsula that hung down the western coast and was known as Baja, or Lower, California.

From "Lupita Mañana" by Patricia Beatty