It·a·ly ( t l- )1. A peninsula of southern Europe projecting into the Mediterranean Sea between the Tyrrhenian and Adriatic seas. 2. A country of southern Europe comprising the peninsula of Italy, Sardinia, Sicily, and several smaller islands. It was settled in antiquity by Italic tribes, Etruscans, and Greek colonists. The non-Roman peoples were gradually supplanted as the power of Rome grew from the fourth century b.c. After the fall of the Roman Empire (a.d. 476), Italy was ruled by various barbarian tribes, local families, and popes. Nationalism in the 19th century led to unification under King Victor Emmanuel II in 1870. Italy became a fascist state under Benito Mussolini, whose regime (1922-1943) was allied with Germany in World War II. After surrendering to the Allies in 1943, Italy was reconstituted as a republic in 1946. Rome is the capital and the largest city. Population: 58,100,000. |   |
Italy [ˈɪtəlɪ]
n
(Placename) a republic in S Europe, occupying a peninsula in the Mediterranean between the Tyrrhenian and the Adriatic Seas, with the islands of Sardinia and Sicily to the west: first united under the Romans but became fragmented into numerous political units in the Middle Ages; united kingdom proclaimed in 1861; under the dictatorship of Mussolini (1922-43); became a republic in 1946; a member of the European Union. It is generally mountainous, with the Alps in the north and the Apennines running the length of the peninsula. Official language: Italian. Religion: Roman Catholic majority. Currency: euro. Capital: Rome. Pop.: 57 892 000 (2001 est.) Area: 301 247 sq. km (116 312 sq. miles) Italian name Italia
Italy
the revival in arts and letters in the sixteenth century in Italy. — cinquecentist, n., adj.
the art and literature of thirteenth-century Italy. — duecentist, n., adj.
an obsession with Italy and things Italian.
the art of fifteenth-century Italy. — quattrocentist, n., adj.
the civil government of Italy, as contrasted with the papal government of the Vatican. — Quirinal, adj.
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. |  Italy - a republic in southern Europe on the Italian Peninsula; was the core of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire between the 4th century BC and the 5th century ADCannae - ancient city is southeastern Italy where Hannibal defeated the Romans in 216 BC battle of Caporetto, Caporetto - battle of World War I (1917); Italians were defeated by the Austrian and German forces Battle of Lake Trasimenus, Lake Trasimenus - a battle in 217 BC in which Hannibal ambushed a Roman army led by Flaminius Battle of Magenta, Magenta - a battle in 1859 in which the French and Sardinian forces under Napoleon III defeated the Austrians under Francis Joseph I Marengo - a battle in 1800 in which the French under Napoleon Bonaparte won a great victory over the Austrians Metaurus River - a battle during the second Punic War (207 BC); Hannibal's brother Hasdrubal was defeated by the Romans which ended Hannibal's hopes for success in Italy Battle of Ravenna, Ravenna - a battle between the French and an alliance of Spaniards and Swiss and Venetians in 1512 Salerno - a battle in World War II; the port was captured by United States troops in September 1943 battle of Solferino, Solferino - an indecisive battle in 1859 between the French and Sardinians under Napoleon III and the Austrians under Francis Joseph I battle of Trasimeno, Trasimeno - a battle in central Italy where Hannibal defeated the Romans under Flaminius in 217 BC Appian Way - an ancient Roman road in Italy extending south from Rome to Brindisi; begun in 312 BC Flaminian Way - an ancient Roman road in Italy built by Gaius Flaminius in 220 BC; extends north from Rome to cisalpine Gaul spaghetti Western - a low-budget Western movie produced by a European (especially an Italian) film company aloha, ciao - an acknowledgment that can be used to say hello or goodbye (aloha is Hawaiian and ciao is Italian) Italian - the Romance language spoken in Italy grissino - a long slender crusty breadstick polenta - a thick mush made of cornmeal boiled in stock or water Brigate Rosse, Red Brigades, BR - a Marxist-Leninist terrorist organization that arose out of a student protest movement in the late 1960s; wants to separate Italy from NATO and advocates violence in the service of class warfare and revolution; mostly inactive since 1989 NIPR, Revolutionary Proletarian Initiative Nuclei, Revolutionary Proletarian Nucleus - a clandestine group of leftist extremists who oppose Italy's labor policies and foreign policy; responsible for bombing building in the historic center of Rome from 2000 to 2002 Common Market, EC, EEC, European Community, European Economic Community, European Union, EU, Europe - an international organization of European countries formed after World War II to reduce trade barriers and increase cooperation among its members; "he tried to take Britain into the Europen Union" NATO, North Atlantic Treaty Organization - an international organization created in 1949 by the North Atlantic Treaty for purposes of collective security commune - the smallest administrative district of several European countries Italian Peninsula - a boot-shaped peninsula in southern Europe extending into the Mediterranean Sea Pompeii - ancient city to the southeast of Naples that was buried by a volcanic eruption from Vesuvius Herculaneum - ancient city; now destroyed Abruzzi, Abruzzi e Molise - a mountainous region of central Italy on the Adriatic Basilicata, Lucania - a region of southern Italy (forming the instep of the Italian `boot') Bolzano - an Italian city in Trentino-Alto Adige near the Austrian border; noted as a resort and for its Alpine scenery Brescia - an ancient Italian city in central Lombardy Calabria - a region of southern Italy (forming the toe of the Italian `boot') Campania - a region of southwestern Italy on the Tyrrhenian Sea including the islands of Capri and Ischia Ferrara - a city in northern Italy; "in the 13th century Ferrara was a center of Renaissance learning and the arts" Emilia-Romagna - a region of north central Italy on the Adriatic Friuli-Venezia Giulia - a region in northeastern Italy |
Italy
noun see administrative regions
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