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definitions

West Berlin

noun
  1. See under Berlin(def 3).

Berlin

[ber-lin for 1–3, bur-lin for 4, 5; for 3, German ber-leen]
noun
  1. Irving,1888–1989, U.S. songwriter.
  2. Isaiah,1909–97, English political philosopher and historian, born in Latvia.
  3. the capital of Germany, in the NE part: constitutes a state. 341 sq. mi. (883 sq. km). Formerly (1948-90) divided into a western zone (West Berlin), a part of West Germany; and an eastern zone (East Berlin), the capital of East Germany.
  4. a town in central Connecticut.
  5. a city in N New Hampshire.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for west berlin

berlin

noun
  1. Also called: berlin wool (sometimes capital) a fine wool yarn used for tapestry work, etc
  2. a four-wheeled two-seated covered carriage, popular in the 18th century
  3. a limousine with a glass partition between the front and rear seats
Also called (for senses 2, 3): berline (bəˈliːn, ˈbɜːliːn)

Word Origin for berlin

C18: named after Berlin

Berlin

1
noun
  1. the capital of Germany (1871–1945 and from 1990), formerly divided (1945–90) into the eastern sector, capital of East Germany, and the western sectors, which formed an exclave in East German territory closely affiliated with West Germany: a wall dividing the sectors was built in 1961 by the East German authorities to stop the flow of refugees from east to west; demolition of the wall began in 1989 and the city was formally reunited in 1990: formerly (1618–1871) the capital of Brandenburg and Prussia. Pop: 3 388 477 (2003 est)

Berlin

2
noun
  1. Irving . original name Israel Baline, 1888–1989, US composer and writer of lyrics, born in Russia. His musical comedies include Annie Get Your Gun (1946); his most popular song is White Christmas
  2. Sir Isaiah . 1909–97, British philosopher, born in Latvia, historian, and diplomat. His books include Historical Inevitability (1954) and The Magus of the North (1993)

West Berlin

noun
  1. (formerly) the part of Berlin under US, British, and French control
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 west berlin

Berlin

city in Brandenburg, capital of Germany, traditionally by folk-etymology from German Bär "bear," but likely from a Slavic source, cf. Old Polabian berl-, birl- "swamp," in reference to the old city's location on low, marshy ground along the River Spree. A flashpoint city in the Cold War, the Berlin airlift ran from June 28, 1948 to May 12, 1949. The Berlin Wall began to be built Aug. 15, 1961, and was effective until Nov. 9, 1989.

berlin

n.

old type of four-wheeled covered carriage, 1690s, so called because it was introduced in Brandenburg, c.1670; see Berlin. Hence berline (from the French form) "automobile with a glass partition behind the driver's seat." In reference to a type of wool and the popular patterns made for it, from 1841.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
west berlin in Culture

Berlin

Capital of reunited Germany, located in the northeastern part of the country.

Note

Formerly the capital of Prussia and then of Germany, Berlin was occupied by American, British, French, and Soviet troops after World War II. Disagreements among the Allies led to the partition of the city, with the Soviet zone becoming East Berlin, and the other zones West Berlin. East Berlin became the capital of the communist German Democratic Republic (East Germany), but West Berlin lost its capital status to Bonn in the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany).

Note

The Berlin Airlift of 1948–1949 supplied West Berlin by air transport after the Soviet Union set up a land and water blockade in an attempt to gain political control of this noncommunist “island” in the midst of communist East Germany.

Note

The two Berlins were physically separated by the Berlin Wall (see also Berlin Wall), a barrier designed to prevent East Germans from crossing into West Berlin, from 1961 to 1989.

Note

With the reunification of the two Germanys in 1990, the reunified city of Berlin was restored to its place as Germany's capital.
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.