Definitions

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

  • A country of northwest Africa bordering on the Atlantic Ocean. Southern Mauritania was part of the ancient empire of Ghana, and the northern part was settled by Berbers c. 1000. The area later formed part of the Mali Empire (flourished 14th century) and was visited by European traders after the 15th century. French influence over the region lasted from the early 1800s until independence was achieved in 1960. Nouakchott is the capital and the largest city.

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

  • proper noun A country in Northern Africa. Official name: Islamic Republic of Mauritania.

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

  • noun a country in northwestern Africa with a provisional military government; achieved independence from France in 1960; largely western Sahara Desert

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin Mauritania, from Maurus ("Moor").

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