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New Or·leans

(n ôrlē-ənz, ôrlənz, ôr-lēnz, ôlənz, ny, nôlənz)

A city of southeast Louisiana between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain. Founded in 1718, it became the capital of a French colony in 1722 and passed to the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. The city is known for its annual Mardi Gras celebrations and as the birthplace of jazz music. In 2005, New Orleans was devastated by Hurricane Katrina, which caused breaches in the protective levee system that resulted in widespread flooding and the evacuation of much of the city.

New Or·leani·an (ôr-lēnē-ən, -lēnyən, -lĭnyən) adj. & n.

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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