Venice

V4E1N1I1C3E1
/ˈvɛnɪs/

proper noun

A port city and comune, the capital of the Metropolitan City of Venice and the region of Veneto, Italy; former capital of an independent republic.

Similar
Serenissimalagoon cityRepublic of VeniceMost Serene Republic of Venice
OriginMiddle English Venyse ← Old French Venise ← Medieval Latin Venetia →
CommonScrabble 11
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Meanings

proper nounVenice (countable and uncountable, plural Venices)

plural Venices

  1. countableuncountableA port city and comune, the capital of the Metropolitan City of Venice and the region of Veneto, Italy; former capital of an independent republic.

    As I indicated at the outset, for us Shakespeare's Venetian plays lie between the early modern republic described in Chapter 2, and all the subsequent Venices of our experience, education and imagination, […]

    2010, Graham Holderness, Shakespeare and Venice, →ISBN, page 141
    1 more example

    An. The Duke cannot deny the courſe of law: / for the commoditie that ſtrangers haue / With vs in Venice, if it be denied, / Will much impeach the iuſtice of the State, / Since that the trade and profit of the citty / Conſiſteth of all Nations.

    c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iii], page 176

    Synonyms: Serenissima, lagoon city

  2. countableuncountableA metropolitan city of Veneto, established in 2015; in full, the Metropolitan City of Venice.
  3. countablehistoricaluncountableA former province of Veneto.
  4. countablehistoricaluncountableA former polity in Europe, a republic and colonial empire around the Adriatic and eastern Mediterranean from CE 697 to 1797 with its capital at Venice.

    Synonyms: Republic of Venice, Most Serene Republic of Venice, Serenissima

  5. A place in the United States:
    1. countableuncountableA neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.

      While Santa Monica has a longstanding prohibition against public camping that includes living in vehicles, the van rental business has been a problem in Venice for years.

      2023 May 19, Matthew Hall, “Los Angeles Councilwoman targets “vanlord” industry”, in Santa Monica Daily Press, archived from the original on 24 Jan 2026
    2. countableuncountableA city in Sarasota County, Florida.
    3. countableuncountableA township in Madison County, Illinois.
    4. countableuncountableA township in Shiawassee County, Michigan.
    5. countableuncountableA township in Seneca County, Ohio.

Synonyms & antonyms

proper nounA port city and comune, the capital of the Metropolitan City of Venice and the region of Veneto, Italy; former capital of an independent republic.

Similar
Serenissimalagoon city

proper nounA former polity in Europe, a republic and colonial empire around the Adriatic and eastern Mediterranean from CE 697 to 1797 with its capital at Venice.

Similar
Republic of VeniceMost Serene Republic of VeniceSerenissima
Also see
most serene republic of venicevenezia

Origin

  1. LatinVenetī
  2. Medieval LatinVenetia
  3. Old FrenchVenise
  4. Middle EnglishVenyse
  5. EnglishVenice

From Middle English Venyse, from Old French Venise or Old Italian, from Medieval Latin Venetia, from Latin Venetī + -ia (suffix forming place names), a local tribe in antiquity whose own little-attested language is now known as Venetic. Initial scholarly agreement that they were Illyrian was based on arguments since refuted. They worshipped Belenus and were possibly Celtic or heavily influenced by Celtic culture, despite repeatedly supporting the Romans against the Gauls. Compare the identical ethnonym Venetī used for Celts of Armorica (ancient Britanny) from Gaulish Uenetoi (“friendly ones, kinsmen”), from Proto-Celtic *wenet, a modified form of *wenyā (“kindred”). Widely but mistakenly derived by the ancient Greeks and Romans from the Eneti of Pamphylia, supposed to have fled to the Adriatic and become the Veneti after supporting the losing side of the Trojan War. As American places, named after the Italian city. Doublet of Venetia and Venezia.

More words from Middle English, Old French, Medieval Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek Ἐνετία, Βενέτζια
  • Ἐνετία (Enetía)city and metropolitan city in Italy
  • Βενέτζια (Benétzia)city and metropolitan city in Italy
  • Βενέτζια (Benétzia)former republic
Arabic اَلْبُنْدُقِيَّة
  • اَلْبُنْدُقِيَّة (al-bunduqiyya)city and metropolitan city in Italy
Bengali বন্দুকিয়া
  • বন্দুকিয়া (bondukiẏa)city and metropolitan city in Italy
Bulgarian Вене́ция, Венециа́нска репу́блика
  • Вене́ция (Venécija)city and metropolitan city in Italy
  • Венециа́нска репу́блика (Veneciánska repúblika)former republic
Catalan Venècia
  • Venèciacity and metropolitan city in Italy
Chinese Cantonese 威尼斯
  • 威尼斯 (wai¹ nei⁴ si¹)city and metropolitan city in Italy
Chinese Mandarin 威尼斯
  • 威尼斯 (Wēinísī)city and metropolitan city in Italy
Czech Benátky, Benátská republika
  • Benátkycity and metropolitan city in Italy
  • Benátská republikaformer republic
Danish Venedig, Venedig
  • Venedigcity and metropolitan city in Italy
  • Venedigformer republic
Dutch Venetië
  • Venetiëcity and metropolitan city in Italy
Esperanto Venecio
  • Veneciocity and metropolitan city in Italy
Estonian Veneetsia
  • Veneetsiacity and metropolitan city in Italy
Finnish Venetsia, Venetsia
  • Venetsiacity and metropolitan city in Italy
  • Venetsiaformer republic
French Venise, République de Venise
  • Venisecity and metropolitan city in Italy
  • République de Veniseformer republic
German Venedig, Venedig
  • Venedigcity and metropolitan city in Italy
  • Venedigformer republic
Greek Βενετία, Βενέτσια
  • Βενετία (Venetía)city and metropolitan city in Italy
  • Βενέτσια (Venétsia)city and metropolitan city in Italy
  • Ενετία (Enetía)city and metropolitan city in Italy
  • Βενετία (Venetía)former republic
  • Βενέτσια (Venétsia)former republic
  • Ενετία (Enetía)former republic
Hebrew ונציה
  • ונציה (Venetsia)city and metropolitan city in Italy
Hindi वेनिस
  • वेनिस (venis)city and metropolitan city in Italy
Hungarian Velence
  • Velencecity and metropolitan city in Italy
Icelandic Feneyjar
  • Feneyjarcity and metropolitan city in Italy
Indonesian Venesia
  • Venesiacity and metropolitan city in Italy
Irish Veinéis
  • Veinéiscity and metropolitan city in Italy
Italian Venezia, Venezia
  • Veneziacity and metropolitan city in Italy
  • Veneziaformer republic
  • Repubblica di Veneziaformer republic
  • Serenissima Repubblica di Veneziaformer republic
Japanese ベネチア, ヴェネツィア
  • ベネチア (Benechia)city and metropolitan city in Italy
  • ヴェネツィア (Venetsia)city and metropolitan city in Italy
  • ベニス (Benisu)city and metropolitan city in Italy
  • ヴェニス (Venisu)city and metropolitan city in Italy
Korean 베네치아, 베니스
  • 베네치아 (Benechia)city and metropolitan city in Italy
  • 베니스 (Beniseu)city and metropolitan city in Italy
Latin Venetiae, Venetia
  • Venetiaecity and metropolitan city in Italy
  • Venetiacity and metropolitan city in Italy
  • Serenissima Respublica Venetiaeformer republic
Latvian Venēcija
  • Venēcijacity and metropolitan city in Italy
Lithuanian Venecija, Venecija
  • Venecijacity and metropolitan city in Italy
  • Venecijaformer republic
  • Venecijos Respublikaformer republic
  • Venecijos Šviesiausioji Respublikaformer republic
Malay Venis, ۏينيس
  • Veniscity and metropolitan city in Italy
  • ۏينيسcity and metropolitan city in Italy
Māori Wēneti
  • Wēneticity and metropolitan city in Italy
Norwegian Venezia
  • Veneziacity and metropolitan city in Italy
Persian ونیز
  • ونیز (veniz)city and metropolitan city in Italy
Polish Wenecja, Republika Wenecka
  • Wenecjacity and metropolitan city in Italy
  • Republika Weneckaformer republic
Portuguese Veneza
  • Venezacity and metropolitan city in Italy
Romanian Veneția
  • Venețiacity and metropolitan city in Italy
Russian Вене́ция, Венецианская республика
  • Вене́ция (Venécija)city and metropolitan city in Italy
  • Венецианская республика (Venecianskaja respublika)former republic
Slovak Benátky
  • Benátkycity and metropolitan city in Italy
Spanish Venecia, República de Venecia
  • Veneciacity and metropolitan city in Italy
  • República de Veneciaformer republic
  • Serenísima República de Veneciaformer republic
Swedish Venedig, Venedig
  • Venedigcity and metropolitan city in Italy
  • Venedigformer republic
Tagalog Benesya
  • Benesyacity and metropolitan city in Italy
Tamil வெனிசு
  • வெனிசு (veṉicu)city and metropolitan city in Italy
Turkish Venedik
  • Venedikcity and metropolitan city in Italy
Ukrainian Вене́ція
  • Вене́ція (Venécija)city and metropolitan city in Italy
Urdu وینس
  • وینس (veenis)city and metropolitan city in Italy
Vietnamese Vơ-ni-dơ, Uy Nê Tư
  • Vơ-ni-dơcity and metropolitan city in Italy
  • Uy Nê Tưcity and metropolitan city in Italy
Welsh Fenis
  • Feniscity and metropolitan city in Italy
Yiddish ווענעציע
  • ווענעציע (venetsye)city and metropolitan city in Italy

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with Venice

tennisDennisdenismenaceEnnis
All rhymes →

Anagrams

evince
Cite this entry
APA

Venice. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Venice

MLA

“Venice.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Venice. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Venice,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Venice.

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