English

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Map of US highlighting California

Etymology

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Probably Spanish after California, a Utopian island of the Amazons described in Las sergas de Esplandián, a 16th-century Spanish novel. The name comes from the fictional island's Muslim-allied queen, Calafia, whose name is a play on Arabic خَلِيفَة (ḵalīfa, caliph). For more information see: Etymology of California.

Pronunciation

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Proper noun

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California (countable and uncountable, plural Californias)

  1. The most populous state of the United States. Capital: Sacramento. Largest city: Los Angeles.
    Synonyms: (abbreviation) CA, (slang) Cali, (derogatory) Commiefornia
    • 1971, Joni Mitchell (lyrics and music), “California”, in Blue:
      But my heart cried out for you, California / Oh, California, I'm coming home
  2. (chiefly historical) A region on the west coast of North America comprising the US state of California and the Baja California peninsula in Mexico; historically also including other areas in Alta California and Baja California.
  3. Several places in the United States.
    1. A census-designated place in Maryland.
    2. A borough of Pennsylvania.
    3. A city, the county seat of Moniteau County, Missouri.
    4. A neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio.
    5. A city in Campbell County, Kentucky.
    6. A neighborhood of Louisville, Kentucky.
    7. A village in Maine.
    8. A ghost town in West Virginia.
  4. Several places in England:
    1. A village in Berkshire.
    2. A neighbourhood of Birmingham, West Midlands (OS grid ref SP0182).
    3. An area in Derby, Derbyshire.
    4. A district of Ipswich, Suffolk.
    5. A hamlet in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.
    6. An outer suburb of Dunstable, Bedfordshire (OS grid ref TL0120).
    7. A coastal resort in Ormesby St Margaret with Scratby, Norfolk.
  5. A community of Ontario, Canada.
  6. A town in the Santander department, Colombia.
  7. A town in the Usulután department, El Salvador.
  8. A neighborhood of Casablanca, Morocco.
  9. A village in Bohol, Philippines.
  10. A village in Stirlingshire, Scotland.
  11. A town in Trinidad and Tobago.
  12. University of California, Berkeley.

Derived terms

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Translations

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See also

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Divisions of the United States of America in English (layout · text)
States: Alabama · Alaska · Arizona · Arkansas · California · Colorado · Connecticut · Delaware · Florida · Georgia · Hawaii · Idaho · Illinois · Indiana · Iowa · Kansas · Kentucky · Louisiana · Maine · Maryland · Massachusetts · Michigan · Minnesota · Mississippi · Missouri · Montana · Nebraska · Nevada · New Hampshire · New Jersey · New Mexico · New York · North Carolina · North Dakota · Ohio · Oklahoma · Oregon · Pennsylvania · Rhode Island · South Carolina · South Dakota · Tennessee · Texas · Utah · Vermont · Virginia · Washington · West Virginia · Wisconsin · Wyoming
Federal district: Washington, D.C.
Territories: American Samoa · Guam · Northern Mariana Islands · Puerto Rico · United States minor outlying islands · United States Virgin Islands

Further reading

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Anagrams

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Central Nahuatl

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Proper noun

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California

  1. California (a state of the United States)

Danish

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Proper noun

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California (genitive Californias)

  1. Alternative form of Californien

Galician

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Proper noun

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California

  1. California (a state of the United States)
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Italian

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Italian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia it

Etymology

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Borrowed from English California.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ka.liˈfɔr.nja/
  • Rhymes: -ɔrnja
  • Hyphenation: Ca‧li‧fòr‧nia

Proper noun

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California f

  1. California (a state of the United States)

Latin

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Latin Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia la

Etymology

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New Latin, borrowed from Spanish California.

Pronunciation

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Proper noun

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California f sg (genitive Californiae); first declension

  1. (New Latin) California
    California regiō magna est.California is a big region.

Declension

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First-declension noun, singular only.

Case Singular
Nominative California
Genitive Californiae
Dative Californiae
Accusative Californiam
Ablative Californiā
Vocative California

Derived terms

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Romanian

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Proper noun

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California f

  1. California (a state of the United States)
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Spanish

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Etymology

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First attested in Montalvo's Las sergas de Esplandián as the name of Calafia's monarchy. A name invented by the author to remind Spanish readers of the recent Reconquista, probably based on califa (caliph).

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /kaliˈfoɾnja/ [ka.liˈfoɾ.nja]
  • Rhymes: -oɾnja
  • Syllabification: Ca‧li‧for‧nia

Proper noun

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California f

  1. California (a state of the United States)
  2. A town in the Usulután department, El Salvador

Derived terms

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References

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  • Putnam, Ruth (1917). Herbert Ingram Priestley (ed.). California: the name. Berkeley: University of California.