Lima

¹ American  

[lee-muh] / ˈli mə /

noun

1. a word used in communications to represent the letter L.

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Lima ² American  

[lee-muh, lee-mah, lahy-muh] / ˈli mə, ˈli mɑ, ˈlaɪ mə /

noun

1. a city in and the capital of Peru, near the Pacific coast.

2. a city in northwestern Ohio.

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Lima British  

/ ˈliːmə /

noun

1. the capital of Peru, near the Pacific coast on the Rímac River: the centre of Spanish colonization in South America; university founded in 1551 (the oldest in South America); an industrial centre with a port at nearby Callao. Pop: 8 180 000 (2005 est)

2. communications a code word for the letter L

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Lima Cultural  

1. Capital of Peru and largest city in the country, located in western Peru; the country's economic center.

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Discover More

Lima was the capital of the empire of Spain in the New World until the nineteenth century.

Etymology

Origin of Lima

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

But election day saw more chaos in Lima, where missing election materials meant about 100 polling centers were unable to open on time and 63,000 people were prevented from voting at all.

From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026

She faces a challenge from former Lima mayor Ricardo Belmont, 80, who, despite having run the capital for five years, has pitched himself as an outsider.

From Barron's • Apr. 12, 2026

At Massapequa's St Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church, which has a high percentage of cop and first responder parishioners, Rev Gerard Gentleman noted how the community moved quickly from shock to generosity and empathy.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

"This suggests that many other elastic liquids might also break at a relatively similar critical stress point," Lima said.

From Science Daily • Mar. 30, 2026

Based east of Lima in the Andes heights, it first became prominent in the sixth century a.d.—a bad time to be launching a nation on the Pacific side of South America.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann