n.
Pronunciation: ' hes, ' he-s ē
Variant: or G Hes · sen \ ' he-s ə n \
Function: geographical name
1 region W cen Germany N of Baden-Württemberg, divided into Hesse-Darmstadt (in the S) & Hesse-Cas · sel \ - ' ka-s ə l, - ' kä- \ (in the N), the latter being united with Prussia in 1866 as part of the province of Hesse-Nassau along with the duchy of Nassau & the city of Frankfurt am Main
2 state of the Weimar Republic, equivalent to Hesse-Darmstadt
3 state of Germany & formerly of W. Germany including larger part of Hesse-Darmstadt & part of Hesse-Nassau capital Wiesbaden area 8151 sq mi (21,111 sq km ), pop 5,763,300