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San·ta An·a 1 (săntə ănə)
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A city of southern California southeast of Los Angeles. Now the largest city in Orange County, Santa Ana grew as an agricultural center in the fertile valley of the Santa Ana River, about 145 km (90 mi) long. Northeast of the city, the river crosses the northern end of the Santa Ana Mountains, a coastal range rising to 1,733 m (5,687 ft), and forms Santa Ana Canyon.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 
San·ta An·a 2 (săntə ănə)
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n.
A strong dry hot wind blowing from the desert regions of southern California toward the Pacific coast, usually in winter.

[After the SANTA ANA CANYON.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 
San·ta An·na or San·ta An·a (săntə ănə, säntä änä), Antonio López de 1794-1876.
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Mexican military and political leader who tried to crush the Texan revolt. Victorious at the Alamo (1836), he was soon after defeated and captured by the Texans. In the Mexican War he lost several major battles (1846-1847) to Gen. Zachary Taylor.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

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.