Library / English Dictionary

HOLLAND

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

A constitutional monarchy in western Europe on the North Sea; half the country lies below sea level

Synonyms:

Holland; Kingdom of The Netherlands; Nederland; Netherlands; The Netherlands

Classified under:

Nouns denoting spatial position

Instance hypernyms:

European country; European nation (any one of the countries occupying the European continent)

Meronyms (parts of "Holland"):

IJsselmeer (a shallow lake in northwestern Netherlands created in 1932 by building a dam across the entrance to the Zuider Zee)

IJssel; IJssel river (a river in the central Netherlands flowing north to the IJsselmeer)

Hoek van Holland; Hook of Holland (a cape on the southwestern coast of the Netherlands near Rotterdam)

Frisian Islands (a chain of islands in the North Sea off the coast of northwestern Europe extending from the IJsselmeer to Jutland)

Friesland (one of the northernmost provinces of the Netherlands)

Utrecht (a city in the central Netherlands)

Leiden; Leyden (a city in the western Netherlands; residence of the Pilgrim Fathers for 11 years before they sailed for America in 1620)

Rotterdam (the 2nd largest city in the Netherlands; located in the western Netherlands near the North Sea)

Nijmegen (an industrial city in the eastern Netherlands)

Eindhoven (city in southeastern Netherlands noted for electrical industry)

's Gravenhage; Den Haag; The Hague (the site of the royal residence and the de facto capital in the western part of the Netherlands; seat of the International Court of Justice)

Arnhem (a city in the central Netherlands on the lower Rhine River; site of a battle in 1944 during World War II)

Apeldoorn (a city of east central Netherlands; a popular tourist center and site of the summer residence of the Dutch royal family)

Amsterdam; capital of The Netherlands; Dutch capital (an industrial center and the nominal capital of the Netherlands; center of the diamond-cutting industry; seat of an important stock exchange; known for its canals and art museum)

Meuse; Meuse River (a European river; flows into the North Sea)

Rhein; Rhine; Rhine River (a major European river carrying more traffic than any other river in the world; flows into the North Sea)

Meronyms (members of "Holland"):

Dutchman; Hollander; Netherlander (a native or inhabitant of Holland)

Holonyms ("Holland" is a part of...):

Europe (the 2nd smallest continent (actually a vast peninsula of Eurasia); the British use 'Europe' to refer to all of the continent except the British Isles)

Holonyms ("Holland" is a member of...):

Common Market; EC; EEC; EU; Europe; European Community; European Economic Community; European Union (an international organization of European countries formed after World War II to reduce trade barriers and increase cooperation among its members)

NATO; North Atlantic Treaty Organization (an international organization created in 1949 by the North Atlantic Treaty for purposes of collective security)

Benelux (a customs union comprising Belgium and Netherlands and Luxembourg)

Derivation:

Hollander (a native or inhabitant of Holland)

Credits

 Context examples: 

It was from the reigning family of Holland, though the matter in which I served them was of such delicacy that I cannot confide it even to you, who have been good enough to chronicle one or two of my little problems.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

And then, France had increased by leaps and bounds, reaching out to the north into Belgium and Holland, and to the south into Italy, whilst we were weakened by deep-lying disaffection among both Catholics and Presbyterians in Ireland.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

And although this were little better than conjecture, yet I resolved to steer my course eastward, hoping to reach the south-west coast of New Holland, and perhaps some such island as I desired lying westward of it.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

My second daughter, Augusta, went with her mama to visit the school, and on her return she exclaimed: 'Oh, dear papa, how quiet and plain all the girls at Lowood look, with their hair combed behind their ears, and their long pinafores, and those little holland pockets outside their frocks—they are almost like poor people's children! and,' said she, 'they looked at my dress and mama's, as if they had never seen a silk gown before.'

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

Here I put in my canoe, and climbing a part of the rock, I could plainly discover land to the east, extending from south to north. I lay all night in my canoe; and repeating my voyage early in the morning, I arrived in seven hours to the south-east point of New Holland.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

Ranged on benches down the sides of the room, the eighty girls sat motionless and erect; a quaint assemblage they appeared, all with plain locks combed from their faces, not a curl visible; in brown dresses, made high and surrounded by a narrow tucker about the throat, with little pockets of holland (shaped something like a Highlander's purse) tied in front of their frocks, and destined to serve the purpose of a work-bag: all, too, wearing woollen stockings and country-made shoes, fastened with brass buckles.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

I would have given the captain (one Theodorus Vangrult) what he pleased to ask for my voyage to Holland; but understanding I was a surgeon, he was contented to take half the usual rate, on condition that I would serve him in the way of my calling.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

But meeting a trade-wind two days after I came on board him, we sailed southward a long time, and coasting New Holland, kept our course west-south-west, and then south-south-west, till we doubled the Cape of Good Hope.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)