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Chan·nel Islands

(chănəl)

1. A group of British islands in the English Channel off the coast of northern France. Settled by Norse mariners, the islands became part of the duchy of Normandy in the tenth century and passed to England with the Norman Conquest of 1066.

2. also Santa Barbara Islands A chain of islands and islets off southern California in the Pacific Ocean. The islands are separated from the mainland by the Santa Barbara Channel in the north and the San Pedro Channel in the south.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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