Guadalcanal

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

• A volcanic island of the western Pacific Ocean, the largest of the Solomon Islands. Visited by English navigators in 1788, the island became a British protectorate in 1893. It was occupied by the Japanese in World War II, leading to an invasion by US troops in August 1942. After fierce jungle fighting, the island was captured by the Allies in February 1943.

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

• noun a mountainous island; the largest of the Solomon Islands in the independent state that is a member of the British Commonwealth.
• noun A battle in World War II in the Pacific (1942-1943), in which American forces invaded the island of Guadalcanal, then occupied by Japanese forces; the island was recaptured by American forces after heavy fighting.

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

• proper noun a volcanic island in the Pacific, part of the Solomon Islands
• proper noun a battle in World War II in which American forces recaptured it from the Japanese

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

• noun a mountainous island; the largest of the Solomon Islands in the independent state that is a member of the British Commonwealth
• noun a battle in World War II in the Pacific (1942-1943); the island was occupied by the Japanese and later recaptured by American forces