Missouri

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A state located in the central region of the United States, known for its diverse geography and cultural heritage
2. A U.S. state characterized by its rivers, including the Missouri River, and significant historical sites
3. A Midwestern state that serves as a crossroads of America with major urban centers such as St. Louis and Kansas City

Etymology: The name of the state and river comes from the Missouri people, a Native American nation whose name the French recorded in a form drawn from the Miami language. The Miami term "wimihsoorita" meant roughly "the people who have dugout canoes," a description that fit the communities living along the river. French explorers and traders adapted the word into their own spelling and pronunciation, and it was applied to the waterway that bears the name today. Over time the word moved from naming a people to naming a river, and then a vast territory. The river was named for the people who lived along its banks, so the people's name traveled outward with the river until it became the label for a whole U.S. state.