Alaska
English
Etymology
From Russian Аля́ска (Aljáska, “Alaska”), in turn from Aleut alaxsxaq (“mainland”, literally “that toward which the action of the sea is directed”),[1] composed of alag (“pertaining to the sea”) + -sxa (nominalizing suffix, yields 'the objective of action expressed by the root') + -q (nominalizing suffix).[2]
Commonly misattributed to Russian ала (ala) + -ский (-skij, adjectival suffix).
Pronunciation
- enPR: ə-lăsʹkə, IPA(key): /əˈlæs.kə/
Audio (General American): (file) - Hyphenation: A‧las‧ka
Proper noun
Alaska
- A state of the United States, formerly a territory. Capital: Juneau. Largest city: Anchorage. Postal code: AK.
- 1869, George Davidson, Pacific Coast. Coast Pilot of Alaska, (First Part,) From Southern Boundary to Cook's Inlet. 1869, page 32f:
- We have no available sources of information concerning the vegetation northward of the peninsula of Alaska from Bristol Bay, in 58°, to the mouth of the Kwichpak, in latitude 63°.
- 1875, A History of the Wrongs of Alaska. An Appeal to the People and Press of America. Printed by Order of the Anti-Monopoly Association of the Pacific Coast. February, 1875, page 3:
- Alaska was discovered about a century ago by Russian furhunters[.]
- 2004, Transformation of the U.S. Army Alaska: Final Environmental Impact Statement. Volume 1. Prepared For: United States Army Alaska Department of the Army. Prepared By: Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands Colorado State University Fort Collins, Colorado, pages 3–108:
- Alaska's earliest inhabitants were nomadic hunters traveling in small bands. They arrived in interior Alaska at least 13,000 years ago […]
- A peninsula in southwest Alaska, United States, in full the Alaska Peninsula.
- Several places in the United States, named for the state or territory.
- A township in Beltrami County, Minnesota.
- An unincorporated community in Morgan and Owen counties, Indiana.
- An unincorporated community in Cibola County, New Mexico.
- An unincorporated community in Jefferson County, Pennsylvania.
- An unincorporated community in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania.
- An unincorporated community in Fayette County, West Virginia.
- An unincorporated community in Kewaunee County, Wisconsin.
- A barangay of Aringay, La Union, Philippines.
Derived terms
Translations
|
Noun
Alaska (plural Alaskas)
- Ellipsis of baked Alaska.
- 1879 December 5, George Augustus [Henry] Sala, “Fashion and Food in New York”, in America Revisited: From the Bay of New York to the Gulf of Mexico, and from Lake Michigan to the Pacific., volume I, London: Vizetelly & Co., 42, Catherine Street, Strand, published 1882, →OCLC; 3nd edition, London: Vizetelly & Co., 42, Catherine Street, Strand, 1883, →OCLC, page 90:
- I dined at Delmonico's hard by the Fifth-avenue Hotel, a few nights ago; and among the dainties which that consummate caterer favoured us with, was an entremet called an "Alaska." The "Alaska" is a baked ice. A beau mentir qui vient de loin; but this is no traveller's tale. The nucleus or core of the entremet is an ice cream. This is surrounded by an envelope of carefully whipped cream, which, just before the dainty dish is served, is popped into the oven, or is brought under the scorching influence of a red hot salamander; so that its surface is covered with a light brown crust. So you go on discussing the warm cream soufflé till you come, with somewhat painful suddenness, on the row of ice.
- 2006 July, “Ice Cream: Some Great Stops, from Parlors to Gelaterias”, in Rebecca Burns, editor, Atlanta, volume 46, number 3, Atlanta, Ga., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 80:
- Preparing the dessert, Dunlap pours a shallow pool of crème anglaise into a dish and adds an Alaska. Next he pours half Bacardi 151 rum ("this one's not for drinking," he warns) and half root beer schnapps into a sauceboat. It's show time! […] We dip the spoon into the Bacardi/schnapps mixture, and heat the spoon's base with a mini torch. When the spoon goes back into the sauceboat, its contents ignite immediately. Yikes! Next, with our left hand, we pick up a long knife and place the tip firmly into the meringue-covered Alaska. Then, with our right, we pick up the flaming rum- and schnapps-filled sauceboat and pour it down the side of the knife. We gape as flaming liquid hits the dessert and encases it in flames. Oooh! Ahhh!
- 1879 December 5, George Augustus [Henry] Sala, “Fashion and Food in New York”, in America Revisited: From the Bay of New York to the Gulf of Mexico, and from Lake Michigan to the Pacific., volume I, London: Vizetelly & Co., 42, Catherine Street, Strand, published 1882, →OCLC; 3nd edition, London: Vizetelly & Co., 42, Catherine Street, Strand, 1883, →OCLC, page 90:
Alternative forms
See also
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 |
References
- ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2025) “Alaska”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
- ^ Ransom, J. Ellis (1940) “Derivation of the word ‘Alaska’”, in American Anthropologist, volume 42, number 3, retrieved 7 June 2022, pages 550-551
Further reading
Anagrams
Catalan
Proper noun
Alaska f
- Alaska (a state of the United States, formerly a territory)
- Alaska, Alaska Peninsula (a peninsula in southwest Alaska, United States, in full the Alaska Peninsula)
Danish
Etymology
Proper noun
Alaska (genitive Alaskas)
- Alaska (a state of the United States, formerly a territory)
Faroese
Etymology
From English Alaska, from Aleut alaxsxaq.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /aˈlaska/
Proper noun
Alaska n
- Alaska (a state of the United States, formerly a territory)
Declension
singular | |
---|---|
indefinite | |
nominative | Alaska |
accusative | Alaska |
dative | Alaska |
genitive | Alaska |
Derived terms
- alaskalupin
Finnish
Etymology
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈɑlɑskɑ/, [ˈɑ̝lɑ̝s̠kɑ̝]
- Rhymes: -ɑlɑskɑ
- Syllabification(key): A‧las‧ka
- Hyphenation(key): A‧las‧ka
Proper noun
Alaska
- Alaska (a state of the United States, formerly a territory)
Declension
Inflection of Alaska (Kotus type 12/kulkija, no gradation) | |||
---|---|---|---|
nominative | Alaska | — | |
genitive | Alaskan | — | |
partitive | Alaskaa | — | |
illative | Alaskaan | — | |
singular | plural | ||
nominative | Alaska | — | |
accusative | nom. | Alaska | — |
gen. | Alaskan | ||
genitive | Alaskan | — | |
partitive | Alaskaa | — | |
inessive | Alaskassa | — | |
elative | Alaskasta | — | |
illative | Alaskaan | — | |
adessive | Alaskalla | — | |
ablative | Alaskalta | — | |
allative | Alaskalle | — | |
essive | Alaskana | — | |
translative | Alaskaksi | — | |
abessive | Alaskatta | — | |
instructive | — | — | |
comitative | See the possessive forms below. |
Possessive forms of Alaska (Kotus type 12/kulkija, no gradation) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Derived terms
Anagrams
French
Etymology
Borrowed from English Alaska, ultimately from Aleut alaxsxaq.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /a.las.ka/
Audio: (file)
Proper noun
Alaska m
- Alaska (a state of the United States, formerly a territory)
- Demain soir, je vais en Alaska rendre visite à mon cousin.
- Tomorrow evening, I'm going to Alaska to visit my cousin.
Usage notes
Although l'Alaska is a masculine state that starts with a vowel, when describing location, only en is used; dans l' cannot be used.[1]
Derived terms
See also
États: Alabama · Alaska · Arizona · Arkansas · Californie · Colorado · Connecticut · Delaware · Floride · Géorgie · Hawaï · Idaho · Illinois · Indiana · Iowa · Kansas · Kentucky · Louisiane · Maine · Maryland · Massachusetts · Michigan · Minnesota · Mississippi · Missouri · Montana · Nebraska · Nevada · New Hampshire · New Jersey · Nouveau-Mexique · État de New York · Caroline du Nord · Dakota du Nord · Ohio · Oklahoma · Oregon · Pennsylvanie · Rhode Island · Caroline du Sud · Dakota du Sud · Tennessee · Texas · Utah · Vermont · Virginie · Washington · Virginie-Occidentale · Wisconsin · Wyoming |
District fédéral: Washington |
Territoires: Samoa américaines · Guam · Îles Mariannes du Nord · Porto Rico · îles mineures éloignées des États-Unis · Îles Vierges des États-Unis |
References
- ^ Office québécois de la langue française (2016) “Les prépositions devant un nom d’État américain [Prepositions in front of a US state name.]”, in Banque de dépannage linguistique[1] (in French)
German
Etymology
Borrowed from English Alaska, from Aleut alaxsxaq.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /aˈlaska/, [ʔäˈläs.kä], [ʔɐˈläs.kɐ]
Audio: (file)
Proper noun
Alaska n (proper noun, genitive Alaskas or (optionally with an article) Alaska)
- Alaska (a state of the United States, formerly a territory)
- Alaska, Alaska Peninsula (a peninsula in southwest Alaska, United States, in full the Alaska Peninsula)
Synonyms
- Alaschka
Icelandic
Etymology
Borrowed from English Alaska, from Aleut alaxsxaq.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈaːlaska/
Proper noun
Alaska n (proper noun, genitive singular Alaska)
- Alaska (a state of the United States, formerly a territory)
Declension
indefinite singular | |
---|---|
nominative | Alaska |
accusative | Alaska |
dative | Alaska |
genitive | Alaska |
Derived terms
- alaskaepli
- alaskalúpína
- alaskasýprus
- alaskavíðir
- alaskayllir
- alaskaösp
Italian
Proper noun
Alaska f
- alternative spelling of Alasca: Alaska (a state of the United States, formerly a territory)
Norwegian Bokmål
Proper noun
Alaska
- Alaska (a state of the United States, formerly a territory)
Related terms
Norwegian Nynorsk
Proper noun
Alaska
- Alaska (a state of the United States, formerly a territory)
Related terms
Polish
Etymology
Borrowed from English Alaska, from Aleut alaxsxaq.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /aˈlas.ka/
Audio: (file) - Rhymes: -aska
- Syllabification: A‧las‧ka
Proper noun
Alaska f
- Alaska (a state of the United States, formerly a territory)
- Mieszkam na Alasce. ― I live in Alaska.
Declension
singular | |
---|---|
nominative | Alaska |
genitive | Alaski |
dative | Alasce |
accusative | Alaskę |
instrumental | Alaską |
locative | Alasce |
vocative | Alasko |
Derived terms
- Alaskanin
- Alaskanka
- Alaskijczyk
- Alaskijka
Further reading
- Alaska in Polish dictionaries at PWN
Portuguese
Etymology
Unadapted borrowing from English Alaska.
Proper noun
Alaska m
- (proscribed) alternative spelling of Alasca
Usage notes
The Portuguese-Language Orthographic Agreement of 1990 recommends the use of nativized placenames (instead of unadapted borrowings or partial calques) if these are established in the language. As such, the form Alasca is preferred.
Romanian
Proper noun
Alaska f
- Alaska (a state of the United States, formerly a territory)
Spanish
Etymology
Borrowed from English Alaska, ultimately from Aleut alaxsxaq.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /aˈlaska/ [aˈlas.ka]
- Rhymes: -aska
- Syllabification: A‧las‧ka
Proper noun
Alaska f
- Alaska (a state of the United States, formerly a territory)
Derived terms
- alasquense, alaskeño, alasqueño
- malamute de Alaska
See also
- Alaska on the Spanish Wikipedia.Wikipedia es
Estados: Alabama · Alaska · Arizona · Arkansas · California · Colorado · Connecticut · Delaware · Florida · Georgia · Hawái · Idaho · Illinois · Indiana · Iowa · Kansas · Kentucky · Luisiana · Maine · Maryland · Massachusetts · Míchigan · Minnesota · Misisipi · Misuri · Montana · Nebraska · Nevada · Nuevo Hampshire · Nueva Jersey · Nuevo México · Nueva York · Carolina del Norte · Dakota del Norte · Ohio · Oklahoma · Oregón · Pensilvania · Rhode Island · Carolina del Sur · Dakota del Sur · Tennessee · Texas · Utah · Vermont · Virginia · Washington · Virginia Occidental · Wisconsin · Wyoming |
Distrito federal: Washington D. C. |
territorio: Samoa Americana · Guam · Islas Marianas del Norte · Puerto Rico · islas Ultramarinas Menores de los Estados Unidos · Islas Vírgenes de los Estados Unidos |
Swedish
Etymology
Borrowed from English Alaska. From Aleut alaxsxaq (“that toward which the action of the sea is directed”).
Proper noun
Alaska n (genitive Alaskas)
- Alaska (a state of the United States, formerly a territory)
Related terms
Anagrams
Tagalog
Etymology
Pronunciation
- (Standard Tagalog) IPA(key): /ʔaˈlaska/ [ʔɐˈlas.kɐ]
- Rhymes: -aska
- Syllabification: A‧las‧ka
- Homophone: alaska
Proper noun
Alaska (Baybayin spelling ᜀᜎᜐ᜔ᜃ)
- Alaska (a state of the United States, formerly a territory)