Antioch

An·ti·och
A1N1T1I1O1C3H4
UK/ˈæntɪˌɒk/US/ˈæntiˌɑk/

proper noun

Ancient name of Antakya: a city in southeastern Turkey, formerly the capital of the ancient Seleucid Empire and the Crusader Principality of Antioch and a major port of the Roman and Byzantine Empires.

Similar
Antioch on the OrontesSyrian AntiochAntiochiaAntiokheiaTarsusAdanaCilician AntiochAntioch on the Sarus
Less commonScrabble 12

Meanings

proper noun

alternative obsolete Antioche

  1. historicalAncient name of Antakya: a city in southeastern Turkey, formerly the capital of the ancient Seleucid Empire and the Crusader Principality of Antioch and a major port of the Roman and Byzantine Empires.

    During his frequent stays at Antioch, Tigranes [king of Armenia], a self-styled king of kings, maintained a sumptuous court with a ceremonial of Achaemenid origin that Plutarch has described.

    1982, Encyclopaedia Iranica, Volume 2, Issues 1-4, Page 120

    Synonyms: Antioch on the Orontes, Syrian Antioch, Antiochia, Antiokheia

  2. Various other cities in Western Asia, founded by the Seleucid dynasty:
    1. historicalFormer name of Tarsus: a city in southeastern Turkey.

      Synonyms: Tarsus

    2. historicalFormer name of Adana: a city in southern Turkey.

      Synonyms: Adana, Cilician Antioch, Antioch on the Sarus

    3. historicalFormer name of Nusaybin: a city in southeastern Turkey.
    4. historicalFormer name of Samsat: a city in southeastern Turkey.

      Synonyms: Samosata

    5. historicalFormer name of Aydin: a city in southwestern Turkey.
    6. historicalFormer name of Urfa: a city in southeastern Turkey.

      Synonyms: Edessa

    7. historicalFormer name of Acre: a city and port in Israel.

      Synonyms: Antiochia, Ptolemais, Antiochia Ptolemais

    8. historicalFormer name of Nahavand: a city in Iran.

      Synonyms: Laodicea

    9. historicalFormer name of Mary: a city in Turkmenistan.

      Synonyms: Merv

    10. historicalA former city in western Turkey near present-day Yalvaç.
    11. historicalA former city in western Turkey near present-day Kuyucak.
    12. historicalA former city in southern Turkey near present-day Gazipaşa.
    13. historicalA former city in northwestern Jordan near present-day Umm Qais.

      Synonyms: Gadara

  3. historicalA former country in the Middle East, a Crusader state centered on Antakya.
  4. historicalVarious former provinces centered on Antakya.
  5. A number of places in the United States.
    1. A township and village therein, in Lake County, Illinois.
    2. An unincorporated community in Jackson Township, Clinton County, Indiana.
    3. An unincorporated community in Wright Township, Greene County, Indiana.
    4. An unincorporated community in Pike Township, Jay County, Indiana.
    5. An unincorporated community in Posey Township, Switzerland County, Indiana.
    6. An unincorporated community in Claiborne Parish, Louisiana.
    7. An unincorporated community in Jackson Parish, Louisiana.
    8. An unincorporated community in Lincoln Parish, Louisiana.
    9. A neighborhood of Nashville, Tennessee.

      Authorities have identified Solomon Henderson, a 17-year-old student, as the suspect in the Antioch High School shooting in Nashville, Tennessee.

      2025 January 22, Channel2 NOW Staff, “Solomon Henderson, Antioch High School shooter’s manifesto leaked”, in Channel2 NOW, archived from the original on 11 Mar 2025
      1 more example

      Nearly all the women are wearing a hijab, one of the reasons they’re in this self-defense class in Antioch, Tennessee, a community nestled next to Nashville. For three hours, these Muslim women learn Krav Maga and Brazilian jiu-jitsu defense moves, including kicks, punches and elbow strikes that will help them escape an attacker.

      2016 February 18, Kyung Lah, “Fearing attacks, Muslim women learn self-defense”, in CNN, archived from the original on 12 Apr 2021
    10. An unincorporated community in Cass County, Texas.
    11. An unincorporated community in Delta County, Texas.
    12. An unincorporated community in Henderson County, Texas.
    13. A ghost town in Houston County, Texas.
    14. An unincorporated community in Smith County, Texas.

Synonyms & antonyms

proper nounAncient name of Antakya: a city in southeastern Turkey, formerly the capital of the ancient Seleucid Empire and the Crusader Principality of Antioch and a major port of the Roman and Byzantine Empires.

Similar
Antioch on the OrontesSyrian AntiochAntiochiaAntiokheia

proper nounFormer name of Tarsus: a city in southeastern Turkey.

Similar

proper nounFormer name of Adana: a city in southern Turkey.

Similar
AdanaCilician AntiochAntioch on the Sarus

proper nounFormer name of Samsat: a city in southeastern Turkey.

Similar

proper nounFormer name of Urfa: a city in southeastern Turkey.

Similar

proper nounFormer name of Acre: a city and port in Israel.

Similar
AntiochiaPtolemaisAntiochia Ptolemais

proper nounFormer name of Nahavand: a city in Iran.

Similar

proper nounFormer name of Mary: a city in Turkmenistan.

Similar

proper nounA former city in northwestern Jordan near present-day Umm Qais.

Similar

ancient Nusaybin, Turkey

Similar

former city near Yalvac, Turkey

Similar
Phrygian AntiochAntioch in PhrygiaAntioch CaesareaPisidian AntiochAntioch in Pisidia

former city near Kuyucak, Turkey

Similar
Antioch on the MeanderPythopolis

former city near Gazipasa, Turkey

Similar
AntiochettaAntioch Parva

Origin

  1. Ancient GreekἈντιόχεια
  2. LatinAntiochīa
  3. Old FrenchAntioche
  4. Middle EnglishAntioche
  5. EnglishAntioch

Inherited from Middle English Antioche, from Old French Antioche, from Latin Antiochīa, from Ancient Greek Ἀντιόχεια (Antiókheia), from Ἀντίοχος (Antíokhos) + -εια (-eia, “-ia: forming place names”), originally from the father of Seleucus I Nicator, the general of Alexander the Great who founded the Seleucid Empire. The name was then borne by other Seleucid emperors, who named various cities after themselves. Later cities in the United States, etc., were subsequently named for the earlier ones, particularly the Syrian Antioch which was an important center of early Christianity. Compare Alexandria, Laodicea, Apamea, Ptolemais, and Seleucia.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek Ἀντιόχεια
  • Ἀντιόχεια (Antiókheia)(historical) Antioch on the Orontes
Arabic أَنْطَاكِيَة
  • أَنْطَاكِيَة (ʔanṭākiya)(historical) Antioch on the Orontes
Bengali আন্তাকিয়া
  • আন্তাকিয়া (antakiẏa)(historical) Antioch on the Orontes
Catalan Antioquia
  • Antioquia(historical) Antioch on the Orontes
Chinese Mandarin 安條克 /安条克, 安提阿
  • 安條克 /安条克 (Āntiáokè)(historical) Antioch on the Orontes
  • 安提阿 (Āntí'ā)(historical) Antioch on the Orontes
Dutch Antiochië
  • Antiochië(historical) Antioch on the Orontes
Esperanto Antioĥio
  • Antioĥio(historical) Antioch on the Orontes
French Antioche
  • Antioche(historical) Antioch on the Orontes
German Antiochia, Antiochien
  • Antiochia(historical) Antioch on the Orontes
  • Antiochien(historical) Antioch on the Orontes
Greek Αντιόχεια
  • Αντιόχεια (Antiócheia)(historical) Antioch on the Orontes
Hindi अन्ताकिया
  • अन्ताकिया (antākiyā)(historical) Antioch on the Orontes
Icelandic Antíokkía
  • Antíokkía(historical) Antioch on the Orontes
Indonesian Antiokhia
  • Antiokhia(historical) Antioch on the Orontes
Italian Antiochia
  • Antiochia(historical) Antioch on the Orontes
Korean 안티오키아
  • 안티오키아 (antiokia)(historical) Antioch on the Orontes
Latin Antīochīa
  • Antīochīa(historical) Antioch on the Orontes
Persian انطاکیه
  • انطاکیه (Antâkiye)(historical) Antioch on the Orontes
Polish Antiochia
  • Antiochia(historical) Antioch on the Orontes
Portuguese Antioquia
  • Antioquia(historical) Antioch on the Orontes
Russian Антиохи́я
  • Антиохи́я (Antioxíja)(historical) Antioch on the Orontes
Scottish Gaelic Antioch
  • Antioch(historical) Antioch on the Orontes
Spanish Antioquía
  • Antioquía(historical) Antioch on the Orontes
Swedish Antiokia, Antiochia
  • Antiokia(historical) Antioch on the Orontes
  • Antiochia(historical) Antioch on the Orontes
Tagalog Antiokiya
  • Antiokiya(historical) Antioch on the Orontes
Turkish Antakya
  • Antakya(historical) Antioch on the Orontes
Urdu انطاکیہ
  • انطاکیہ (Antākiyā)(historical) Antioch on the Orontes

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

Antioch. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Antioch

MLA

“Antioch.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Antioch. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Antioch,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Antioch.

Source: Antioch on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.