Pennsylvania

• Pensylvania, Pensilvania

From Penn (“William Penn”) +‎ sylvan (“woods”) +‎ -ia (“land”). 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 sylva, silva (“meaning "wood"”), thus "Pennsylvania" (Penn's woods). Some propose that the "Penn" is derived from William's more respected father, also named William Penn.^{[en 1]}

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /ˌpɛn.sɪlˈveɪ.ni.ə/, /ˌpɛn.sɪlˈveɪn.jə/
  • (weak vowel merger) IPA^(key): /ˌpɛn.səlˈveɪ.ni.ə/, /ˌpɛn.səlˈveɪn.jə/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪniə
• Hyphenation: Penn‧syl‧va‧ni‧a, Penn‧syl‧van‧ia

Pennsylvania

2. A state of the United States. Capital: Harrisburg. Largest city: Philadelphia.
   • 2025 February 4, Shania Shelton and Morgan Rimmer, “Senate votes to confirm Pam Bondi as attorney general”, in CNN‎^[2]:

     The vote was 54-46. The vote was mostly along party lines though Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania joined Republicans in supporting Bondi.

3. (historical) A former colony of England, from 1681 to 1707, and of Great Britain, from 1707 to 1776, which grew progressively larger before becoming the present state.
4. The first, and historically largest, now defunct US railroad, a hallmark of the industrial age.
5. An unincorporated community in Mobile County, Alabama, United States.
6. A suburb of Exeter, Devon, England (OS grid ref SX9294).
7. A hamlet in Cold Ashton parish, South Gloucestershire district, Gloucestershire, England (OS grid ref ST7473).

• (US state): PA
• The Keystone State

• Pennsylvanien

Borrowed from English Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania (genitive Pennsylvanias)

1. Pennsylvania (a state of the United States)

From English Pennsylvania.

• IPA^(key): /ˈpensilʋei̯niɑ/, [ˈpe̞ns̠ilˌʋe̞i̯niɑ̝]
• IPA^(key): /ˈpensylʋei̯niɑ/, [ˈpe̞ns̠ylˌʋe̞i̯niɑ̝]
• Rhymes: -einiɑ

Pennsylvania

1. Pennsylvania (a state of the United States)

• Pennsylvanien (dated to archaic)

• IPA^(key): /ˌpɛnsɪlˈvɛɪ̯ni̯a/, /ˌpɛnsɪlˈveːni̯a/

• Audio:

  (file)

Pennsylvania n (proper noun, genitive Pennsylvanias or (optionally with an article) Pennsylvania)

1. Pennsylvania (a state of the United States)

• Pennsylvaniadeutsch
• Pennsylvanier
• pennsylvanisch

• Pensilvania

Borrowed from English Pennsylvania.

• IPA^(key): /pen.silˈva.nja/, /pen.silˈvɛ.nja/^[1]
• Rhymes: -anja, -ɛnja
• Hyphenation: Penn‧syl‧và‧nia

Pennsylvania f

1. Pennsylvania (a state of the United States)

Pennsylvania f

1. alternative spelling of Pensilvânia: Pennsylvania (a state of the United States)

Unadapted borrowing from English Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania inan

1. Pennsylvania (a state of the United States)
   • 1968, Nora Thompson Dean, “Nati Knuchihëweokàn! [Go Get Your Witch Medicine!]”, in The Lenape Talking Dictionary‎^[3]:

     Nèki lëkhìkwi nèki Lënapeyok òk Wënètkok kixki wikhatuwàk wèhènchiopànk Pennsylvania òk New Jersey tali.

     At that time the Delawares and the Nanticokes lived near each other there in the East in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

   • 1968, Nora Thompson Dean, “Alahòtuwàk [They All Hunted]”, in The Lenape Talking Dictionary‎^[4]:

     Lòmwehkamik ènta yuki Lènapeyòk wikhatihtit wëntahkwi wèhènchiòpànk kithakàna Pennsylvania.

     A long time ago when the Delawares lived toward the east in the far away land of Pennsylvania.

• Rementer, Jim with Pearson, Bruce L. (2005) Leneaux, Grant, Whritenour, Raymond, editors, The Lenape Talking Dictionary, The Lenape Language Preservation Project