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Van Rens·se·laer

(văn rĕn′sə-lîr, rĕnsə-lər, vän rĕnsə-lär′), Killian or Kiliaen 1595-1644.

Dutch merchant who was a founder of the Dutch West India Company (1621) and established Rensselaerswyck (1630), the only successful privately held colony in America, on his estate in present-day upstate New York.

Van Rensselaer, Stephen 1764-1839.

American army officer and politician. A descendant of Killian Van Renssalaer, he inherited the family estate in New York, saw military action in the War of 1812, and was an early advocate of the Erie Canal project.

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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