Illinois
noun
Il·li·nois ˌi-lə-ˈnȯi 
also
-ˈnȯiz plural Illinois
1
plural : a confederacy of American Indian peoples of Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin
2
: a member of any of the Illinois peoples
3
: the Algonquian language of the Illinois
Word History
Etymology
French, earlier Eriniouai, singular, probably from a word in an Algonquian language derived from Proto-Algonquian *elen- ordinary + *-we· make a sound
First Known Use
1703, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Geographical Definition
Illinois
geographical name
Il·li·nois ˌi-lə-ˈnȯi also -ˈnȯiz
1
river 273 miles (439 kilometers) long in Illinois flowing southwest into the Mississippi River
2
state in the central part of the U.S. having the Mississippi River as its western boundary and bordering on Lake Michigan in the northeast; capital Springfield area 56,400 square miles (146,640 square kilometers), population 12,830,632
Illinoisan
ˌi-lə-ˈnȯi-ən also -ˈnȯi-zᵊn
adjective or noun