Definition of 'Italy'
noun
a republic in S Europe, occupying a peninsula in the Mediterranean between the Tyrrhenian and the Adriatic Seas, with the islands of Sardinia and Sicily to the west: first united under the Romans but became fragmented into numerous political units in the Middle Ages; united kingdom proclaimed in 1861; under the dictatorship of Mussolini (1922–43); became a republic in 1946; a member of the European Union. It is generally mountainous, with the Alps in the north and the Apennines running the length of the peninsula. Official language: Italian. Religion: Roman Catholic majority. Currency: euro. Capital: Rome. Pop: 59 359 900 (2017 est). Area: 301 247 sq km (116 312 sq miles)
Italian name: ItaliaCollins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
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Italy in American English
country in S Europe, mostly on a peninsula extending into the Mediterranean & including Sicily, Sardinia, and numerous other islands:
formerly a kingdom created by the unification of various Italian monarchies & states (1861), it became a republic in 1946: 116,333 sq mi (301,301 sq km); pop. 56,778,000; cap. Rome
It. name Italia Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin
L Italia, altered, prob. by Greeks living in S Italy < earlier (prob. Oscan) Víteliú; orig. used only of the SW point of the peninsula
Synonyms of 'Italy'
Italy
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a country in SE Africa, formerly a self-governing British colony founded in 1890 by the British South Africa Company, which administered the country until a self-governing colony was established in 1923; joined with Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) and Nyasaland (now Malawi) as the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland from 1953 to 1963; made a unilateral declaration of independence (UDI) under the leadership of Ian Smith in 1965 on the basis of White minority rule; proclaimed a republic in 1970; in 1976 the principle of Black majority rule was accepted and in 1978 a transitional government was set up; gained independence under Robert Mugabe in 1980; effectively a one-party state since 1987; a member of the Commonwealth until 2003, when it withdrew as a result of conflict with other members. Official language: English. Religion: Christian majority. Currency: Zimbabwean dollar phased out in 2015 in favour of a variety of currencies. Capital: Harare. Pop: 13 182 908 (2013 est). Area: 390 624 sq km (150 820 sq miles)
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In other languages
Italy
- American English: Italy /ˈɪtəli/
- Arabic: إيطَالْيَّا
- Brazilian Portuguese: Itália
- Chinese: 意大利
- Croatian: Italija
- Czech: Itálie
- Danish: Italien
- Dutch: Italië
- European Spanish: Italia
- Finnish: Italia
- French: Italie
- German: Italien
- Greek: Ιταλία
- Italian: Italia
- Japanese: イタリア
- Korean: 이탈리아
- Norwegian: Italia
- Polish: Włochy
- European Portuguese: Itália
- Romanian: Italia
- Russian: Италия
- Latin American Spanish: Italia
- Swedish: Italien
- Thai: อิตาลี (ประเทศ)
- Turkish: İtalya
- Ukrainian: Італія
- Vietnamese: nước Ý
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Italy
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Italy
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Definition of Italy from the Collins English Dictionary
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