Definitions

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

  • A region of the Netherlands on the North Sea. Much of Holland lies below sea level and consists of agriculturally fertile polders. In the 1500s and 1600s, Holland's growth as a shipping and commercial center made it the most influential and prosperous region of the Netherlands.

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

  • proper noun The Netherlands.
  • proper noun A region of the Netherlands formed by two provinces: North Holland and South Holland.
  • proper noun An English habitational surname for someone from the Netherlands, or from any of the various places in England named Holland.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Old Dutch holt lant ("wood land"). A popular but false etymology holds that it is derived from hol land ("hollow land"), inspired by the low-lying geography of both the Dutch and the English region (Holland, Lincolnshire).

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Examples

  • TOWN OF HOLLAND - One person is dead and another person unaccounted for after a fire leveled a Town of Holland home Wednesday morning, according to the Sheboygan County Sheriff's Department.

    The Appleton Post-Crescent Latest Headlines 2009

  • Every place we have in Holland is full every time we open it.

    A Salvationist's World Outlook 1948

  • No clothing had been made in Holland from the time the Germans came into the country four years before.

    The Condition of Civilians in Western Europe at the Conclusion of the German Occupation 1947

  • Breda, in Holland, is where Temple seems to have written from on his way home.

    Letters from Dorothy Osborne to Sir William Temple (1652-54) 1888

  • Andy shall henceforth be known as "Stuck-Up Wanker," I'm simply "Schmuck," (maschugana and schlemiel didn't fit) and since "pancake" is apparently an extremely derogatory insult in Holland, the Dutch word for pancake (pahnenkoek) shall be Nadine's new nickname.

    TravelPod.com Recent Updates 2009

  • The cartoonist blames his woes on what he calls Holland's "political correctness industry," a network of often state-funded organizations set up to protect Muslims and other minority groups.

    Why Islam Is Unfunny for a Cartoonist 2008

  • A motorbike was parked by the porch and a scarf with the word "Holland" emblazoned on it was pride of place on the wall, a gift from his daughter's Dutch husband.

    BBC News - Home 2012

  • I live in Holland which is very flat, so there's nowhere for the kids to go sledding when it snows.

    Archive 2006-03-01 2006

  • I live in Holland which is very flat, so there's nowhere for the kids to go sledding when it snows.

    Ski Delft 2006

  • I also visited the notorious concentration camp at Vucht in Holland which is near Hertogenbosch.

    The Approaching Climax 1945

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