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Reagan, Ronald Wilson 1911-2004.

The 40th president of the United States (1981-1989). An actor turned politician, he was governor of California (1967-1975) and defeated the incumbent, Jimmy Carter, in the 1980 presidential election. His administration was marked by economic recovery, military involvement in Grenada, Central America, Lebanon, and Libya, and improved relations with the Soviet Union.

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Ronald Reagan

photographed in 1981

Rea·gan

(rāgən), Nancy Davis 1921-2016.

First lady of the United States (1981-1989) as the wife of President Ronald Reagan. She established a nationwide antidrug campaign.

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Nancy Reagan

photographed in 1983

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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