Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • A city divided between east-central Israel and the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Jerusalem was founded as far back as the fourth millennium BC and was ruled by the Canaanites, Hebrews, Greeks, Romans, Persians, Arabs, Crusaders, Turks, and British before being divided in 1949 into eastern and western sectors under Israeli and Jordanian control. In 1967, Israeli forces captured the eastern sector from Jordan, later declaring the city as a whole to be the capital of Israel. The legal status of Jerusalem, considered a holy city by Jews, Muslims, and Christians, remains fiercely disputed.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The chief city of Palestine, intimately associated with the glory of the Jewish nation, and the life and death of Jesus Christ.
  • noun (Bot.) One of the tubers themselves.
  • noun (Bot.) the popular name of either of two species of Solanum (Solanum Pseudo-capsicum and Solanum capsicastrum), cultivated as ornamental house plants. They bear bright red berries of about the size of cherries.
  • noun (Bot.) an aromatic goosefoot (Chenopodium Botrys), common about houses and along roadsides.
  • noun (Bot.) a perennial herb of the Mint family (Phlomis tuberosa).
  • noun (Bot.) a spiny, leguminous tree (Parkinsonia aculeata), widely dispersed in warm countries, and used for hedges.
  • noun Heaven; the Celestial City.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • proper noun Ancient city of Palestine and the current capital of Israel; a holy city for Judaism (Temple of Solomon and the capital of the ancient kingdoms of Israel and Judeah), Christianity (Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection), and Islam (Muhammad’s ascension to heaven).

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun capital and largest city of the modern state of Israel (although its status as capital is disputed); it was captured from Jordan in 1967 in the Six Day War; a holy city for Jews and Christians and Muslims; was the capital of an ancient kingdom

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Late Latin Ierusalem, Hierusalem, from Latin Hierosolyma, from Ancient Greek Ἰερουσαλήμ (Ierousalēm), from Hebrew יְרוּשָׁלַיִם (Yerushalayim), from Western Semitic Urušalimmi (attested in Ancient Egyptian), compound of Semitic *uru 'house, town' and *salim either 'peace' or 'Shalim, Canaanite goddess of twilight'.

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Examples

  • JERUSALEM - Israel is quietly carrying out a $100 million, multiyear development plan in some of the most significant religious and national heritage sites just outside the walled Old City here as part of an effort to strengthen the status of Jerusalem as its capital.

    OpEdNews - Quicklink: Jerusalem project raises concerns 2009

  • OF THE HOLY LAND, JERUSALEM: This region, Jerusalem and Judea, represented an important land bridge between Syria and Egypt.

    CNN Transcript Dec 24, 2009 2009

  • VIEW FAVORITES yahooBuzzArticleHeadline = 'Gideon Levy: Israel is lying to itself about \'united Jerusalem\' '; yahooBuzzArticleSummary =' And the prime minister has told us other lies, such as "our commitment to protect freedom of worship for all the religions in Jerusalem, and to ensure fair and equal treatment for the city\'s residents, Jews and Arabs alike."

    OpEdNews - Quicklink: Gideon Levy: Israel is lying to itself about 'united Jerusalem' 2009

  • OF THE HOLY LAND, JERUSALEM: This region, Jerusalem and Judea, represented an important land bridge between Syria and Egypt.

    CNN Transcript Dec 24, 2008 2008

  • OF THE HOLY LAND, JERUSALEM: This region, Jerusalem and Judea, represented an important land bridge between Syria and Egypt.

    CNN Transcript Apr 7, 2007 2007

  • BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT, JERUSALEM: Well, we're in East Talpiot, which is a southern suburb of Jerusalem.

    CNN Transcript Feb 26, 2007 2007

  • OF THE HOLY LAND, JERUSALEM: This region, Jerusalem and Judea, represented an important land bridge between Syria and Egypt.

    CNN Transcript Apr 8, 2007 2007

  • OF THE HOLY LAND, JERUSALEM: This region, Jerusalem and Judea, represented an important land bridge between Syria and Egypt.

    CNN Transcript Dec 24, 2006 2006

  • YIGAL AMEDI, JERUSALEM DEPUTY MAYOR: In Jerusalem, it's a very safe place now.

    CNN Transcript Jul 21, 2006 2006

  • OF THE HOLY LAND, JERUSALEM: This region, Jerusalem and Judea, represented an important land bridge between Syria and Egypt.

    CNN Transcript Dec 20, 2006 2006

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  • A village in Lincolnshire.

    October 31, 2011

  • And did those feet in ancient time . . . .

    October 31, 2011