From Middle English Venyse, from Old French Venise or Old Italian, from Medieval Latin Venetia, from Latin Venetī + -ia (suffix forming place names), a local tribe in antiquity whose own little-attested language is now known as Venetic. Initial scholarly agreement that they were Illyrian was based on arguments since refuted. They worshipped Belenus and were possibly Celtic or heavily influenced by Celtic culture, despite repeatedly supporting the Romans against the Gauls. Compare the identical ethnonym Venetī used for Celts of Armorica (ancient Britanny) from Gaulish Uenetoi (“friendly ones, kinsmen”), from Proto-Celtic *wenet, a modified form of *wenyā (“kindred”). Widely but mistakenly derived by the ancient Greeks and Romans from the Eneti of Pamphylia, supposed to have fled to the Adriatic and become the Veneti after supporting the losing side of the Trojan War. As American places, named after the Italian city. Doublet of Venetia and Venezia.

Origin: Middle English

Synonyms

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Venezia city of canals La Serenissima

Related words

venezia

Rhymes for Venice

ice rice mice dice nice vice trice voice price twice juice spice

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Frequently asked questions

What does “Venice” mean?

The word “Venice” means a city in northern Italy famous for its canals.

How do you pronounce “Venice”?

“Venice” is pronounced VEH-nihs (/ˈvɛnɪs/ in IPA).

How do you use “Venice” in a sentence?

Here is “Venice” used in a sentence: “They rode a gondola through the canals of Venice.”

What part of speech is “Venice”?

“Venice” is a name.

Is “Venice” a common word?

“Venice” is a fairly common word in modern English.

What country is Venice in?

Venice is a city in northern Italy, built across a group of small islands in a coastal lagoon. Its Italian name is Venezia.

Why does Venice have canals instead of roads?

Venice was built on more than a hundred small islands in a shallow lagoon, so its main routes are waterways rather than streets. Canals thread between the buildings and serve as the city's roads for boats.

How do people get around Venice?

Because Venice is laced with canals, people travel largely on foot over its many bridges or by boat. Water buses called vaporetti and traditional gondolas are used on the canals in place of cars.

What is a person from Venice called?

A person from Venice is called a Venetian. 'Venetian' is also used as an adjective, as in Venetian glass or Venetian architecture.

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