Definitions

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun the former name of an island republic in the Indian Ocean off the southeast coast of India, now called Sri Lanka. It is an independent nation with an area of 25,332 sq. mi. and a population of about 14 million people.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • proper noun The old name for Sri Lanka, prior to 1972.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a republic on the island of Ceylon; became independent of the United Kingdom in 1948
  • noun an island in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of India

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Ancient Greek Σελεδίβα (Selediba), from Pali sīhaḷa, from Sanskrit siṃhala dvīpa ("island"); siṃhala derived from siṃha ("lion").

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