Definitions

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

  • The capital of the Philippines, on southwest Luzon Island and Manila Bay, an inlet of the South China Sea. Founded in 1571, the city was controlled by Spain until it was seized by US troops in 1898 during the Spanish-American War. It was held by the Japanese from 1942 to 1945 during World War II.

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

  • proper noun The capital of the Philippines, located on the island of Luzon.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Tagalog Maynila, from may nilad (may ("there is"), nilad a kind of flowering plant once found in the low-lying banks of the Pasig River), probably under influence via Spanish, from أمان الله (amān Allāh, "God’s protection").

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