Mesopotamia

Pronunciation

• IPA: /mÉ›sÉ™pəˈteɪmɪə/
• Rhymes: -eɪmiÉ™

Origin

From the Classical Latin Mesopotamia, from the Koine Greek Μεσοποταμία, a feminine substantive form of the adjective μεσοποτάμιος ("between rivers"), from the Ancient Greek μέσος ("between") + ποτᾰμός ("river") + -ιος, after the Aramaic בית נהרין (bēt nahrīn, "Mesopotamia”, literally “between the rivers"), so called because Mesopotamia is located between the rivers Euphrates and Tigris.

Full definition of Mesopotamia

Proper noun

1. A region in Southwest Asia spanning from the rivers Euphrates and Tigris that is the site of one of the most ancient civilizations in the history of man.
2. The British Mandate of Mesopotamia, a League of Nations mandate from 1920 to 1932 that was the precursor to the independent state of Iraq.

Derived terms

• Mesopotamian
• Mesopotamic