Mesopotamia

[ mes-uh-puh-tey-mee-uh ]

noun

1. an ancient region in W Asia between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers: now part of Iraq.

Mesopotamia

/ ˌmɛsəpəˈteɪmɪə /

noun

1. a region of SW Asia between the lower and middle reaches of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers: site of several ancient civilizations

Mesopotamia

1. A region of western Asia , in what is now Iraq , known as the “cradle of civilization.” Western writing first developed there, done with sticks on clay tablets. Agricultural organization on a large scale also began in Mesopotamia, along with work in bronze and iron ( see Bronze Age and Iron Age ). Governmental systems in the region were especially advanced ( see Babylon (see also Babylon ) and Hammurabi ). A number of peoples lived in Mesopotamia, including the Sumerians, Akkadians, Hittites, and Assyrians.

Other Words From

• Meso·po·tami·an adjective noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of Mesopotamia¹

Latin from Greek mesopotamia ( khora ) (the land) between rivers

Example Sentences

It started in the south, Chan says, then spread to Egypt, Syria, Mesopotamia, and Iran, as well as to the Greco-Roman world.

From The Daily Beast

U.S. advisers there repeated the familiar mantra I heard many times during my tour in Mesopotamia… “Iraqi good enough.”

From The Daily Beast

Both built themselves new capitals, the Persian in Ctesiphon in Mesopotamia; the Romans in Constantinople.

From The Daily Beast

Christians were residing in Mesopotamia more than 500 years before Muslims arrived in the region.

From The Daily Beast

Fundamentalist Sunni Islam was gaining ground fast in Mesopotamia in the 1990s as Baathism collapsed as an ideology.

From The Daily Beast

His most specific charge was that in Mesopotamia they were "spending money like water in looking for oil."

From Project Gutenberg

Strabo speaks of very large bats in Mesopotamia, whose flesh was palatable.

From Project Gutenberg

We shall describe Mesopotamia and the nations towards the south, after premising a short account of the customs of the Assyrians.

From Project Gutenberg

The contracted shape of Mesopotamia extends far in length, and somewhat resembles a ship.

From Project Gutenberg

Will those men of the same stock who rule in Mesopotamia submit to govern by foreign advice, and so save the country?

From Project Gutenberg