Annapolis

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The capital city of the state of Maryland on Chesapeake Bay ; the location of the United States Naval Academy
2. A historic port city serving as the capital of Maryland ; a place that houses the U.S. Naval Academy for training officers
3. The state capital of Maryland situated on the Severn River ; home to the prestigious United States Naval Academy

Etymology: Annapolis, the capital of Maryland, was not always named for a queen. Its first name was Anne Arundel's Towne, honoring Anne Arundell, an English noblewoman who lived from about 1615 or 1616 to 1649. The county that surrounds the city was named after her as well, so the honor was originally hers alone. The name was later changed to honor Princess Anne of Denmark and Norway, the heir to the English throne who became Queen Anne of Great Britain and reigned until 1714. The new name was built from "Anna," the Latinate form of Anne, joined to "polis," the Greek word for "city." The city therefore carries a Latin-Greek blend that pairs a woman's name with a word for a place of people.