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Rhode Island (rōd)
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1. Abbr. RI or R.I. A state of the northeast United States on the Atlantic Ocean. One of the original Thirteen Colonies, Rhode Island was settled by religious exiles from Massachusetts, including Roger Williams, who founded Providence in 1636. It was granted a royal charter in 1663 and after the American Revolution began the industrialization that is still a major part of the state's economy. Rhode Island ratified the United States Constitution in 1790. Providence is the capital and the largest city.
2. An island of Rhode Island at the entrance to Narragansett Bay. Originally known as Aquidneck Island, it was renamed Rhode Island in 1644, probably after the isle of Rhodes.
Rhode Island·er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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