Minnesotan

Minnesotan
Min·ne·so·ta (mĭn′ĭ-sō’tə) Abbr. MN or Minn.
A state of the northern United States bordering on Lake Superior and on Manitoba and Ontario, Canada. It was admitted as the 32nd state in 1858. Explored by the French in the mid-1600s, the area became part of the United States through the Treaty of Paris (1783) and the Louisiana Purchase (1803). St. Paul is the capital and Minneapolis the largest city.
Min′ne·so’tan adj. & n.
Word History: Minnesotans may tell you that Minnesota in Lakota means "10,000 lakes," and they may attempt to prove it by pointing to the motto on their license plates. Minnesota in Lakota actually means "cloudy water," an accurate description of the Minnesota River. Another popular etymology of a similar-sounding Indian name has Minnehaha meaning "laughing waters." It doesn't; it means "waterfalls." The misinterpretation began around 1849 when European settlers, not unreasonably, assumed that the -haha was an imitation of laughter just as in English, and hence that minnehaha meant "laughing waters." The folk etymology caught on and wound up in 1855 as the name of the heroine in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem The Song of Hiawatha.

Word Histories. 2014.

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  • Minnesotan — is also a term for a resident of Minnesota. Minnesotan Overview Service type Inter city rail Status Closed Locale Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota …   Wikipedia

  • Minnesotan — prop. n. A resident of Minnesota. [WordNet 1.5] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Minnesotan — [min΄ə sōt′ən] adj. of Minnesota n. a person born or living in Minnesota * * * See Minnesota. * * * …   Universalium

  • Minnesotan — [min΄ə sōt′ən] adj. of Minnesota n. a person born or living in Minnesota …   English World dictionary

  • Minnesotan (passenger train) — The Minnesotan was a passenger train run by the Chicago Great Western Railway, using the CGW s trackage between Grand Central Station in Chicago, Illinois and Saint Paul Union Depot in Saint Paul, Minnesota, via Rochester, Minnesota. Begun as the …   Wikipedia

  • Minnesotan — adjective or noun see Minnesota …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Minnesotan — 1. adjective Of or pertaining to Minnesota 2. noun A native or inhabitant of Minnesota …   Wiktionary

  • minnesotan — n. resident of Minnesota (USA) …   English contemporary dictionary

  • Minnesotan — [ˌmɪnɪ səʊt(ə)n] noun a native or inhabitant of the US state of Minnesota. adjective relating to Minnesota or Minnesotans …   English new terms dictionary

  • minnesotan — min·ne·so·tan …   English syllables

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