Mesopotamia

See also: Mesópótamía, Mesopotàmia, and Mesopotâmia

English

Etymology

From the Classical Latin Mesopotamia, from the Koine Greek Μεσοποταμία (Mesopotamía), a feminine substantive form of the adjective Μεσοποτάμιος (Mesopotámios, “between rivers”), from the Ancient Greek μέσος (mésos, “between”) + ποτᾰμός (potămós, “river”) + -ιος (-ios), so called because Mesopotamia is located between the rivers Euphrates and Tigris. Also used as a translation of the Biblical Hebrew נַהֲרַיִם (naharáyim), the dual form of נָהָר (nahár, “river”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mɛsəpəˈteɪmɪə/

  • Audio (Mid-Atlantic US):

    (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪmiə

Proper noun

Mesopotamia

2. (historical) A geographic region in southwest Asia, spanning from the rivers Euphrates and Tigris, located in modern Iraq, eastern Syria, and southeast Turkey; the site of one of the most ancient civilizations in the history of man.
   • 1948 July and August, K. Westcott Jones, “The Isle of Wight Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 217:

     It was purchased by the Isle of Wight Railway in 1882, and continued to work between Brading and Bembridge until 1917, when it was taken over by the War Department, and sent overseas for war service in Mesopotamia, whence it never returned. It survived until at least 1921, when it was observed on the quayside at Basra.

4. (historical) A former province of the Roman Empire, existing from 116 to 117 AD and again from 198 to 637 AD.
6. (historical) The Mandate for Mesopotamia, a League of Nations mandate from 1920 to 1932, entrusted to the United Kingdom, that was the precursor to the independent state of Iraq.
8. A geographic region in northeast Argentina, between the Paraná and Uruguay rivers.
9. (UK, slang, obsolete) The Eaton Square district of London, England.

Derived terms

• Mesopotamian
• Mesopotamic
• Mespots

Translations

region between Euphrates and Tigris

• Abkhaz: Аҩӡыбжьара (Ajʷdzəbžara)
• Akkadian: 𒅗𒍝𒄠𒈠 (kaṣûm)
• Amharic: መስጴጦምያ (mäsp̣eṭomya)
• Arabic: بِلَادُ الرَّافِدَيْن f (bilādu r-rāfidayn), بَيْن النَّهْرَيْن f pl (bayn an-nahrayn)

  Egyptian Arabic: ميسوبوتاميا f (misubutāmia), بين النهرين f (bēn en-nahrēn)

• Aramaic:

  Assyrian Neo-Aramaic: ܒܹܝܬ݂ ܢܲܗܪܝܼܢ f (bēṯ nahrīn)

  Classical Syriac: ܒܝܬ ܢܗܪܝܢ f (bêṯ nahrīn)

• Armenian: Միջագետք (Miǰagetkʻ)

  Old Armenian: Միջագետք (Miǰagetkʻ)

• Azerbaijani: Mesopotamiya, İkiçayarası
• Bashkir: Месопотамия (Mesopotamiya)
• Belarusian: Месапата́мія f (Mjesapatámija), Міжрэ́чча n (Mižréčča), Двухрэчча (Dvuxrečča)
• Bengali: মেসোপটেমিয়া (meśōpṭemiẏa)
• Bulgarian: Месопота́мия (Mesopotámija), Междуречие (Meždurečie), Двуречие (Dvurečie)
• Catalan: Mesopotàmia f
• Chechen: Междуречье (Meždurečʲe)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 美索不達米亞 / 美索不达米亚 (zh) (Měisuǒbùdámǐyà), 兩河流域 / 两河流域 (zh) (Liǎng hé liúyù)

• Czech: Mezopotámie (cs) f
• Danish: Mesopotamien
• Dhivehi: މެސޮޕޮޓޭމިއާ (mesopoṭēmiā)
• Dutch: Mesopotamië (nl) n, Tweestromenland n
• Esperanto: Mezopotamio
• Estonian: Mesopotaamia, Kahejõemaa
• Finnish: Mesopotamia (fi), Kaksoisvirranmaa (fi)
• French: Mésopotamie (fr) f
• Georgian: შუამდინარეთი (šuamdinareti), მესოპოტამია (mesoṗoṭamia)
• German: Mesopotamien (de) n, Zweistromland (de) n
• Greek: Μεσοποταμία (el) f (Mesopotamía)

  Ancient: Μεσοποταμίᾱ f (Mesopotamíā)

• Hawaiian: Mekopakamia
• Hebrew: אֲרַם נַהֲרַיִם m (arám naharáim), מֵסוֹפּוֹטַמְיָה m (mesopotámya)
• Hindi: मेसोपोटामिया (mesopoṭāmiyā)
• Hungarian: Mezopotámia (hu)
• Icelandic: Mesópótamía (is) f, Millifljótaland
• Indonesian: Mesopotamia
• Irish: an Mheaspatáim f
• Japanese: メソポタミア (ja) (Mesopotamia)
• Kannada: ಮೆಸೊಪಟ್ಯಾಮಿಯಾ (mesopaṭyāmiyā)
• Kazakh: Месопотамия (Mesopotamiä)
• Khmer: មេសូប៉ូតាមី (meisoopootaamii), មជ្ឈប៉ូតាមី (maccʰoapootaamii)
• Korean: 메소포타미아 (Mesopotamia)
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: Mezrabotan f, Mezopotamya (ku) f

• Lao: ເມໂຊໂປຕາເມຍ (mē sō pō tā mīa)
• Latin: Mesopotamia f
• Latvian: Divupe
• Lithuanian: Tarpupis
• Luxembourgish: Zweestroumland
• Macedonian: Месопотамија f (Mesopotamija), Меѓуречје (Meǵurečje)
• Manchu: ᠮᡝᠰᠣᡦᠣᡨᠠᠮᡳᠶᠠ (mesopotamiya)
• Marathi: मेसोपोटामिया (mesopoṭāmiyā)
• Middle Persian: 𐭬𐭣𐭩𐭠𐭭𐭫𐭥𐭲𐭠𐭭 (mdyʾnlwtʾn /⁠Mayānrōdān⁠/)
• Mingrelian: შქაწყარმალონა (škac̣q̇armalona)
• Mongolian: Месопотам (Mesopotam)
• Northern Thai: ᨾᩮᩈᩰᨻᩰᨴᩮᨾᩮ᩠ᨿ
• Old Church Slavonic: месопотамиꙗ (mesopotamija), междоурѣчиѥ (meždurěčije)
• Parthian: 𐭌𐭃𐭉𐭍𐭓𐭅𐭕𐭍 (mdynrwtn /⁠Maδyānrōδān⁠/)
• Persian: میان‌رودان (fa) (miyân-rudân), بین‌النهرین (fa) (beyn-on-nahreyn)
• Polish: Mezopotamia (pl) f
• Portuguese: Mesopotâmia (pt) f
• Romanian: Mesopotamia f
• Russian: Месопота́мия (ru) f (Mesopotámija), Междуре́чье (ru) n (Mežduréčʹje)
• Samogitian: Tarpopis
• Serbo-Croatian: Međurječje, Међуречје

  Cyrillic: Месопотамија f, Мезопотамија f

  Roman: Mesopotamija f, Mezopotamija (sh) f

• Shan: မေႇသူဝ်ႇပူဝ်ႇတေးမီးယႃး (mèe sò pò tée míi yáa)
• Sinhalese: මෙසොපොටේමියාව f (mesopoṭēmiyāwa)
• Slovak: Mezopotámia f, Medziriečie
• Slovene: Mezopotamija (sl) f, Medrečje
• Spanish: Mesopotamia
• Swedish: Mesopotamien (sv) n, Tvåflodslandet n
• Tamil: மெசொப்பொத்தேமியா (mecoppottēmiyā)
• Thai: เมโสโปเตเมีย (th) (may-sŏh-bpoh-dtay-mia)
• Turkish: Mezopotamya (tr)
• Ukrainian: Месопота́мія f (Mesopotámija), Межирі́ччя (uk) n (Mežyríččja), Дворіччя (uk) (Dvoriččja)
• Uzbek: Mesopotamiya
• Vietnamese: Lưỡng Hà (vi) (兩河)
• Volapük: Mesopotän (vo)
• West Frisian: Twastreamelân
• Wolof: Réewum ñaari dex yi
• Zazaki: Mezopotamya

References

• (district of London): 1873, John Camden Hotten, The Slang Dictionary

See also

• Assyria
• Assyro-Babylonia
• Babylonia
• Iraq
• Kurdistan
• Sumer

• interfluve (having components with the same meaning as Mesopotamia, i.e., “between rivers”)

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin Mesopotamia, from Ancient Greek Μεσοποταμίᾱ (Mesopotamíā).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /me.zo.poˈta.mja/
• Rhymes: -amja
• Hyphenation: Me‧so‧po‧tà‧mia

Proper noun

Mesopotamia f

1. (historical) Mesopotamia (a geographic region in southwest Asia, spanning from the rivers Euphrates and Tigris, located in modern Iraq, eastern Syria, and southeast Turkey; the site of one of the most ancient civilizations in the history of man)
2. (historical) Mesopotamia (a former province of the Roman Empire, existing from 116 to 117 AD and again from 198 to 637 AD)

Derived terms

• mesopotamico

Latin

Etymology

From Ancient Greek Μεσοποταμία (Mesopotamía, “land between the rivers”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [mɛ.sɔ.pɔˈta.mi.a]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [me.s̬o.poˈtaː.mi.a]

Proper noun

Mesopotamia f sg (genitive Mesopotamiae); first declension

1. (historical) Mesopotamia (a geographic region in southwest Asia, spanning from the rivers Euphrates and Tigris, located in modern Iraq, eastern Syria, and southeast Turkey; the site of one of the most ancient civilizations in the history of man)
2. (historical) Mesopotamia (a former province of the Roman Empire, existing from 116 to 117 AD and again from 198 to 637 AD)

Declension

First-declension noun, singular only.

	singular
nominative	Mesopotamia
genitive	Mesopotamiae
dative	Mesopotamiae
accusative	Mesopotamiam
ablative	Mesopotamiā
vocative	Mesopotamia

See also

• Irāca

References

• “Mesopotamia”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “Mesopotamia”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mesopoˈtamja/ [me.so.poˈt̪a.mja]
• Rhymes: -amja
• Syllabification: Me‧so‧po‧ta‧mia

Proper noun

Mesopotamia ?

1. (historical) Mesopotamia (a geographic region in southwest Asia, spanning from the rivers Euphrates and Tigris, located in modern Iraq, eastern Syria, and southeast Turkey; the site of one of the most ancient civilizations in the history of man)
2. (historical) Mesopotamia (a former province of the Roman Empire, existing from 116 to 117 AD and again from 198 to 637 AD)
3. Mesopotamia (a geographic region in northeast Argentina, between the Paraná and Uruguay rivers)

Derived terms

• mesopotámico