Adjacent Words

Wisconsin definitions

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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a tributary of the Mississippi River in Wisconsin [syn: Wisconsin, Wisconsin River]
2: a midwestern state in north central United States [syn: Wisconsin, Badger State, WI]

Merriam Webster's

geographical name 1. river 430 miles (692 kilometers) central Wisconsin flowing S & W into Mississippi River 2. state N central United States capital Madison area 56,154 square miles (145,439 square kilometers), population 5,363,675 • Wisconsinite noun

Britannica Concise

State (pop., 1997 est.: 5,170,000), N Midwest, U.S. It covers an area of 56,153 sq mi (145,436 sq km), incl. part of Lake Michigan; its capital is Madison. With many unique landforms, incl. the Door Peninsula between Lake Michigan and Green Bay, its N area has one of the greatest concentration of lakes in the world. The Mississippi and the Wisconsin rivers cross the state. Forests cover about 45% of it. Originally inhabited by the Adena, or Mound Builders, the region was home to several different Indian tribes, incl. the Ojibwa, Menominee, and Winnebago, when Europeans arrived. The French explorer J. Nicolet visited Wisconsin in 1634; the first permanent European settlement was established in 1717. The area remained under French control until 1763, when France ceded it to Great Britain after the French and Indian War. After the Amer. Revolution the region was ceded to the U.S. The Europeans dispossessed the Indians of their land (see Black Hawk), and settled the region. It became the Wisconsin Territory in 1836. It was admitted to the Union as the 30th state in 1848. The Progressive movement (see Progressive Party) began in Wisconsin c.1900, resulting in the passage of legislation that made the state a leader in social reform. It is the major milk, butter, and cheese producer in the U.S. Tourism and recreation also are economically important. Wisconsin ports handle much of the Great Lakes domestic freight shipping.