california

Cal-i-for-nia · proper_noun

imported

Definitions

proper_noun

  1. 1.

    A state on the western coast of the United States, the most populous state in the nation.

  2. 2.

    The California peninsula (Baja California) in Mexico.

Phrases & expressions

  • •
    California dreaming — fantasizing about an idealized California lifestyle
  • •
    California roll — a type of sushi roll

Related words

See also: Los Angeles, San Francisco, hollywood

Etymology

From Spanish California, first appearing in a 16th-century Spanish romance novel "Las Sergas de Esplandian" as the name of a mythical island. The origin is uncertain but may derive from Latin calida fornax ("hot furnace") or possibly from Arabic.