Sicily

American  

[sis-uh-lee] / ˈsɪs ə li /

noun

1. an island in the Mediterranean, constituting a region of Italy, and separated from the SW tip of the mainland by the Strait of Messina: largest island in the Mediterranean. 9,924 sq. mi. (25,705 sq. km). Palermo.

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Sicily British  

/ ˈsɪsɪlɪ /

noun

1. Latin names: Sicilia.   Trinacria.  Italian name: Sicilia.  the largest island in the Mediterranean, separated from the tip of SW Italy by the Strait of Messina: administratively an autonomous region of Italy; settled by Phoenicians, Greeks, and Carthaginians before the Roman conquest of 241 _bc ; under Normans (12th–13th centuries); formed the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies with Naples in 1815; mountainous and volcanic. Capital: Palermo. Pop: 4 972 124 (2003 est). Area: 25 460 sq km (9830 sq miles)

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Sicily Cultural  

1. Island in southern Italy on the Mediterranean Sea, separated from the Italian mainland by the narrow Strait of Messina. Its capital is Palermo.

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Discover More

It is the largest Mediterranean island.

Other Word Forms

• Sicilian
  adjective

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Sicily

This would prove crucial in July 1943 when the Allies launched their attack on Sicily and were initially bogged down by Nazi artillery at Gela, the primary invasion beach.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

United’s new routes next year will include flights from Newark to Terceira, an island in Portugal’s Azores, as well as Sardinia and Sicily.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

Ash from the eruptions has been clouding the skies over eastern Sicily and has disrupted hundreds of flights at Catania International Airport in the past week.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

This week, millions of people across Europe gathered to watch the eclipse, an ancient Roman shipwreck was discovered off the coast of Sicily, and Cristiano Ronaldo married his long-time partner.

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

When he returned from his first political posting, as quaestor in Sicily, for instance, he imagined his fame would have spread far and wide.

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith