mesopotamia
/mɛ.sə.pəˈteɪ.mɪ.ə/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.94 in modern English
17
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
6
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
name
A geographic region in southwest Asia, spanning from the rivers Euphrates and Tigris, located in modern Iraq, eastern Syria, and southeast Turkey; the site of one of the most ancient civilizations in the history of man.
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A former province of the Roman Empire, existing from 116 to 117 AD and again from 198 to 637 AD.
name
The Mandate for Mesopotamia, a League of Nations mandate from 1920 to 1932, entrusted to the United Kingdom, that was the precursor to the independent state of Iraq.
name
Example Sentences
- "It was purchased by the Isle of Wight Railway in 1882, and continued to work between Brading and Bembridge until 1917, when it was taken over by the War Department, and sent overseas for war service in Mesopotamia, whence it never returned. It survived until at least 1921, when it was observed on the quayside at Basra."
- "Variously associated with qualities ranging from warding off evil to promoting fertility, the open hand of the hamsa is thought to have originated in Mesopotamia and is recognized the world over."
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *me Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-? Proto-Indo-European *-dʰe Proto-Indo-European *médʰi Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *médʰyos Proto-Hellenic *métsos Ancient Greek μέσος (mésos) Proto-Indo-European *peth₂-der.? Ancient Greek ποταμός (potamós) Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Ancient Greek -ιος (-ios) Ancient Greek μεσοποτάμῐος (mesopotámĭos) Ancient Greek Μεσοποταμίᾱ (Mesopotamíā)bor. Latin Mesopotamialbor. English Mesopotamia From the Classical Latin Mesopotamia, from the Koine Greek Μεσοποταμία (Mesopotamía), a feminine substantive form of the adjective Μεσοποτάμιος (Mesopotámios, “between rivers”), from the Ancient Greek μέσος (mésos, “between”) + ποτᾰμός (potămós, “river”) + -ιος (-ios), so called because Mesopotamia is located between the rivers Euphrates and Tigris. The term is used as a translation of the Biblical Hebrew נַהֲרַיִם (naharáyim), the dual form of נָהָר (nahár, “river”).