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Straits Settlements

A former British crown colony comprising parts of the southern and western Malay Peninsula and adjacent islands, including Singapore. Formed in 1826, it was under Indian control until 1867, when the British assumed direct authority. Singapore became a separate colony in 1946; the remaining area was granted to Australia and the Federation of Malaya (later Malaysia) in the 1950s.

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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