Dictionary.com
definitions

Philadelphia

[fil-uh-del-fee-uh]
|

noun

a city in SE Pennsylvania, on the Delaware River: Declaration of Independence signed here July 4, 1776.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for philadelphia

Contemporary Examples of philadelphia

Historical Examples of philadelphia

  • When Benjamin was quite a large lad he was sent to school at Philadelphia.

    Biographical Stories

    Nathaniel Hawthorne

  • On my return to Philadelphia, I resolved to shift my ground, and try a new tack.

    Ned Myers

    James Fenimore Cooper

  • We took in a return cargo of brandy, and sailed for Philadelphia.

    Ned Myers

    James Fenimore Cooper

  • On getting back to Philadelphia, the money went in the old way.

    Ned Myers

    James Fenimore Cooper

  • On board this vessel I shipped as mate, bound to Philadelphia.

    Ned Myers

    James Fenimore Cooper

British Dictionary definitions for philadelphia

Philadelphia

noun

a city and port in SE Pennsylvania, at the confluence of the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers: the fourth largest city in the US; founded by Quakers in 1682; cultural and financial centre of the American colonies and the federal capital (1790–1800); scene of the Continental Congresses (1774–83) and the signing of the Declaration of Independence (1776). Pop: 1 479 339 (2003 est)
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 philadelphia

Philadelphia

city in Pennsylvania, U.S., from Greek, taken by William Penn to mean "brotherly love," from philos "loving" (see -phile) + adelphos "brother" (see Adelphia). Also the name recalls that of the ancient city in Lydia, mentioned in the New Testament, which was so called in honor of Attalos II Philadelphos, 2c B.C.E. king of Pergamon, who founded it. His title is said to have meant "loving the brethren." Philadelphia lawyer "clever, shrewd attorney" attested from 1788 in London, said originally to have been applied to Andrew Hamilton, who obtained the famous acquittal of J.P. Zenger on libel charges in 1735.

[C]ricket and coaching were after all popular in their day in places besides Philadelphia. It was merely that Philadelphia kept on with them longer than most places. This is a perennial Philadelphia trick, and gives to Philadelphia a sort of perpetual feeling of loss. Philadelphians are always just now getting rid of things that are picturesque, like those gas lamps on the streets, only because everybody else got rid of them long ago. [Nathaniel Burt, "The Perennial Philadelphians," 1963]
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
philadelphia in Culture

Philadelphia

[(fil-uh-del-fee-uh, fil-uh-del-fyuh)]

Largest city in Pennsylvania.

Note

Cultural center now and especially in colonial times. Its historical monuments include Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed; the Liberty Bell; and Congress Hall.

Note

Philadelphia, the “City of Brotherly Love,” was founded in the late seventeenth century as a Quaker colony by William Penn.
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.