/il'euh noy", -noyz"/ , n.
1. a state in the central United States: a part of the Midwest. 11,418,461; 56,400 sq. mi. (146,075 sq. km). Cap.: Springfield. Abbr.: IL (for use with zip code), Ill.
2. a river flowing SW from NE Illinois to the Mississippi River: connected by a canal with Lake Michigan. 273 mi. (440 km) long.
Pronunciation . The pronunciation of ILLINOIS with a final /z/ , which occurs chiefly among less educated speakers, is least common in Illinois itself, increasing in frequency as distance from the state increases.
/il'euh noy"/ or, sometimes, /-noyz"/ , n. , pl. Illinois /-noy", -noyz"/ .
1. a member of a confederacy of North American Indians of Algonquian stock, formerly occupying Illinois and adjoining regions westward.
2. the Algonquian language of the Illinois and Miami Indians.
[ 1715-25, Amer.; Eriniouai, Ilinoués, etc. elen- ordinary + *- we · make sound ]