n.
Pronunciation: ' i-t ə -l ē
Variant: or Italian Ita · lia \ ē - ' täl-yä \ or L Ita · lia \ ə - ' tal-y ə , i- \
Function: geographical name
1 peninsula 760 mi (1223 km ) long S Europe projecting into the Mediterranean bet. Adriatic & Tyrrhenian seas
2 country comprising the peninsula of Italy, Sicily, Sardinia, & numerous other islands; a republic since 1946, formerly a kingdom capital Rome area 116,313 sq mi (302,251 sq km ), pop 57,844,017