Pennsylvania

Pronunciation

• US IPA: /ËŒpÉ›nsɨlˈveɪniÉ™/Rhymes: -eɪniÉ™

Origin

On March 4, 1681, Charles II of England granted a land tract to William Penn for the area that now includes Pennsylvania. Penn then founded a colony there as a place of religious freedom for Quakers, and named it for the Latin sylvania, from silvanus, meaning "woods," thus "Pennsylvania."

Full definition of Pennsylvania

Proper noun

1. A state of the United States of America. Capital: Harrisburg; largest city: Philadelphia.
2. The first, and historically largest, now defunct US railroad, a hallmark of the industrial age.

Synonyms

• (US state) PA

Derived terms

• PA
• Penn Station
• Pennsylvanian