name
Common
Tennessee
teh-nuh-SEE
Tennessee (name) means a state of the United States.
name
1
A state of the United States.
"Fa la la la Fa la la lee Now let me go, my honey oh back to Tennessee It's beefsteak when I'm workin, whiskey when I'm dry, and sweet heaven when I die"
— Gillian Welch (2011)
2
A river in Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi and Kentucky, United States, that flows from eastern Tennessee into the Ohio River.
3
The name of a village in McDonough County, Illinois.
4
A male first name.
5
A female first name.
noun
1
Short for the Tennessee warbler, a species of small bird.
"The Nashville's cousin, the Tennessee warbler, is just as badly named: neither can be found in Tennessee, except during migration. Tennessees vary a lot in fall; some are almost pure white below, mimicking spring plumage, while immatures like the one pictured on page 304 can be quite yellow below."
— Bill Thompson III et al (2005)
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Word forms
- Plural
- Tennessees
Etymology
Taken from Cherokee ᏔᎾᏏ (tanasi), believed to mean "winding river".
Rhymes for Tennessee
See all rhymes for Tennessee →Frequently asked questions
What does “Tennessee” mean?
The word “Tennessee” means a state of the United States.
How do you pronounce “Tennessee”?
“Tennessee” is pronounced teh-nuh-SEE (/ˌtɛnəˈsiː/ in IPA).
How do you use “Tennessee” in a sentence?
Here is “Tennessee” used in a sentence: “Fa la la la Fa la la lee Now let me go, my honey oh back to Tennessee It's beefsteak when I'm workin, whiskey when I'm dry, and sweet heaven when I die.”
What part of speech is “Tennessee”?
Depending on how it is used, “Tennessee” can be a name and a noun.
Is “Tennessee” a common word?
“Tennessee” is a fairly common word in modern English.
How many meanings does “Tennessee” have?
“Tennessee” has 6 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a state of the United States.
What is the difference between the state of Tennessee and the Tennessee River?
Tennessee is a state in the United States, while the Tennessee River is a major river that shares the name. The river flows from eastern Tennessee through Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky before joining the Ohio River, so it passes through several states beyond the one it is named after.
Is 'Tennessee' always capitalized?
Yes. 'Tennessee' is a proper noun naming a U.S. state and a river, so it is always written with a capital T. This holds whether it refers to the state or the waterway.
How many S's and E's are in 'Tennessee'?
'Tennessee' is spelled with a double N, a double S, and a double E at the end: T-E-N-N-E-S-S-E-E. Remembering that the last three letters follow the double-S makes the word easier to spell correctly.
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