| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| Chicago |
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| SYLLABICATION: | Chi·ca·go |
| PRONUNCIATION: |  sh -kä g , -kô- |
| The largest city of Illinois, in the northeast part of the state on Lake Michigan. It is a major port and the commercial, financial, industrial, and cultural center of the Middle West. It is also the third-largest U.S. city. Chicago was nearly destroyed by a disastrous fire in 1871. Population: 2,783,726. | | OTHER FORMS: | Chi·cago·an —NOUN
| | WORD HISTORY: | People from Chicago ought to like onions. The name Chicago is first recorded in 1688 in a French document, where it appears as Chigagou, an Algonquian word meaning “onion field.” In explanation of this name, the document states there that wild onion or garlic grew profusely in the area. The name of the field or meadow was first transferred to the river and then was given to the city in 1830.
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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