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Ha·van·a¹

(hə-vănə)

The capital and largest city of Cuba, in the northwest part of the island country on the Gulf of Mexico. Founded on its present site in 1519, it became the capital of Spanish Cuba in 1552. The explosion of the US battleship Maine in Havana's harbor in February 1898 was the immediate cause of the Spanish-American War.

Ha·vanan adj. & n.

Ha·van·a²

(hə-vănə)

A cigar made in Cuba, especially one of fine quality.

[After Havana¹.]

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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