Arizona
name ·Uncommon ·College level
Definitions
- 1 A state in the southwestern United States, established 1912. Capital: Phoenix.
"A 15-year-old orphan is being forced from the Arizona senior community where he lives with his grandparents after the homeowner’s association said it could face legal issues if he stayed."
- 2 Ellipsis of University of Arizona. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
"Videos on social media appear to show Arizona fans chanting “F**k the Mormons” after the 96-95 loss."
- 3 A territory of the southwest Confederate (1862–1865) and United States of America (1863–1912), with its capitals at Tucson, Prescott, and Phoenix. historical
- 4 A department of the northwest Second Mexican Empire (1863–1865), with its capital at Altar. historical
- 5 A unisex given name. rare
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- 6 Arizona Beverage Company, which sells its products under the name AriZona.
- 7 Several places named for the state or territory.; Arizona City, a census-designated place in Pinal County, Arizona, United States.
- 8 Several places named for the state or territory.; An unincorporated community in Claiborne Parish, Louisiana, United States.
- 9 Several places named for the state or territory.; An unincorporated community in Burt County, Nebraska, United States.
- 10 Several places named for the state or territory.; A locality in Manitoba, Canada.
- 11 Several places named for the state or territory.; A municipality of Atlántida department, Honduras.
- 12 Several places named for the state or territory.; A barangay of Midsayap, Cotabato, Philippines.
Example
More examples"Phoenix is the capital of Arizona."
Etymology
Uncertain. Possibly from O'odham alĭ ṣonak (literally “small spring”) (traditionally through the Spanish intermediary form Arizonac; compare modern Arizona), a name initially applied to an area around a silver-mining camp in Sonora. Alternatively, perhaps from Basque haritz ona (literally “good oak”), as the area had many Basque herders, and a descendant of them established the ranchería of Arizona (circa 1735) in Sonora. Suggestions of derivation from *arizuma, supposedly a Nahuatl word meaning “silver-bearing”, are considered implausible, and derivation from árida zona (literally “dry zone”) is considered a folk etymology.
Related phrases
More for "arizona"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.