/shles"wig hohl"stuyn/ ; Ger. /shlays"vik hawl"shtuyn/ , n.
1. two contiguous duchies of Denmark that were a center of international tension in the 19th century: Prussia annexed Schleswig 1864 and Holstein 1866.
2. a state of N Germany, including the former duchies of Holstein and Lauenburg and part of Schleswig. 2,564,565; 6073 sq. mi. (15,728 sq. km). Cap.: Kiel.