peninsula

[ puh-nin-suh-luh, -nins-yuh-luh ]

noun

1. an area of land almost completely surrounded by water except for an isthmus connecting it with the mainland.
2. the Peninsula,
   1. Spain and Portugal together; Iberian Peninsula; Iberia.
   2. a district in SE Virginia between the York and James rivers: Civil War battles.

Peninsula

¹

noun

1. the Peninsula
   short for the Iberian Peninsula

peninsula

²

/ pɪˈnɪnsjʊlə /

noun

1. a narrow strip of land projecting into a sea or lake from the mainland

peninsula

/ pə-nĭn′syə-lə /

1. A piece of land that projects into a body of water and is connected with a larger landmass.

peninsula

1. A body of land enclosed on three sides by water, jutting out from a larger body of land.

Usage

The noun peninsula is sometimes confused with the adjective peninsular: the Iberian peninsula (not peninsular )

Derived Forms

• penˈinsular, adjective

Other Words From

• pen·insu·lar adjective
• pen·insu·lar·ism pen·in·su·lar·i·ty [p, uh, -nin-s, uh, -, lar, -i-tee, -nins-y, uh, -], noun
• transpen·insu·lar adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of peninsula¹

1530–40; < Latin paenīnsula, equivalent to paen- pen- + īnsula island

Word History and Origins

Origin of peninsula¹

C16: from Latin, literally: almost an island, from paene pene- + insula island

Example Sentences

Point Loma and Ocean Beach are on a peninsula, and the Midway area is the only way in or out.

From Voice of San Diego

The country’s government has committed to building a $34 billion artificial island 50 miles off the coast of the Jutland peninsula.

From Singularity Hub 

Increasingly the peninsula has a warmer, humid, more sub-Antarctic climate.

From Nautilus

They’re warmer-weather penguins that are extending their range down the peninsula as it’s warming.

From Nautilus

The peninsula lies just inland from the island chain that forms North Carolina’s Outer Banks.

From Fortune

Originally it was a low-level insurgency mainly confined to the Sinai Peninsula .

From The Daily Beast

KIEV, Ukraine—He took the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea with just a few shots fired.

From The Daily Beast

As the Arabian Peninsula flourished, the area became the center of cultural development.

From The Daily Beast

Putin mentioned the word before, during the Crimea crises last spring before he annexed the strategic peninsula.

From The Daily Beast

At present, Russia only has access to the strategic peninsula by sea or by air.

From The Daily Beast

If the "Y" Beach lot press their advantage they may cut off the enemy troops on the toe of the Peninsula.

From Project Gutenberg

An aeroplane had reported that the Goeben had come into the Narrows, presumably to fire over the Peninsula with her big guns.

From Project Gutenberg

The sailors had hoped they would be able to shield the Southern point of the Peninsula by interposing their ships but they can't.

From Project Gutenberg

As I write dead quiet reigns on the Peninsula, literally dead quiet.

From Project Gutenberg

Before leaving for France the Emperor had drawn up a cut and dried plan for the systematic conquest of the whole Peninsula.

From Project Gutenberg