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Leb·a·non

(lĕbə-nən, -nŏn′)

A country of southwest Asia on the Mediterranean Sea. The site of ancient Phoenicia, the region was gradually absorbed by the Persian Empire and later conquered by Alexander the Great. Eventually it came under Roman control and was Christianized before the Arab conquest of the 7th century. Part of the Ottoman Empire from the early 16th century, Lebanon became a French League of Nations mandate after World War I and proclaimed its independence in 1941, although full self-government was not achieved until 1946. Tensions between Christians and Muslims led to civil war (1975), which finally came to an end in 1990. Beirut is the capital and the largest city.

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Lebanon

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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