Philadelphia
name ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 The largest city in Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of coterminous Philadelphia County; the former capital of the United States.
"Philadelphia police said they were investigating. No charges were immediately filed."
- 2 Former name of Amman: the capital of Jordan. historical
- 3 Former name of Alaşehir: a city, municipality, and district of Manisa Province, Turkey. historical
- 4 A locale in the United States; named for the city in Pennsylvania.; An unincorporated community in Cass County, Illinois.
- 5 A locale in the United States; named for the city in Pennsylvania.; An unincorporated community in Sugar Creek Township, Hancock County, Indiana.
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 A locale in the United States; named for the city in Pennsylvania.; A city, the county seat of Neshoba County, Mississippi.
- 7 A locale in the United States; named for the city in Pennsylvania.; A town and village in Jefferson County, New York.
- 8 A locale in the United States; named for the city in Pennsylvania.; A small city in Loudon County, Tennessee.
- 9 A village in Brandenburg, Germany; named for the city in Pennsylvania.
- 10 A village in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England; named for the city in Pennsylvania (OS grid ref NZ3352).
- 11 A suburb of Cape Town, South Africa.
Example
More examples"She is a famous Philadelphia lawmaker."
Etymology
From Latin Philadelphia, from Ancient Greek Φιλαδέλφεια (Philadélpheia), from φιλάδελφος (philádelphos, “brother/sibling-loving”) + -εια (-eia, “-ia: forming placenames”), from the combining form of φῐλέειν (phĭléein, “to love”) + ἀδελφός (adelphós, “brother, sibling”). In reference to the city in Turkey, named for the loyal Attalus II Philadelphus of Pergamon. In reference to the city in Jordan, named for the incestuous Ptolemy II Philadelphus of Egypt. In reference to the American city, named for the ancient towns as well as the Quaker William Penn's aim of fostering religious tolerance. Doublet of Filadelfia.
Related phrases
More for "philadelphia"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.