Search

a city in and the capital of Iraq, in the central part, on the Tigris.
a republic in SW Asia, N of Saudi Arabia and W of Iran, centering in the Tigris-Euphrates basin of Mesopotamia. 172,000 sq. mi. (445,480 sq. km).
Capital: Baghdad.
Contemporary Examples

At home in Baghdad they take the time they have to get together and ride.
Bikers of Baghdad: Sunnis, Shias, Skulls, ‘Harleys,’ and Iraqi Flags Jacob Siegel July 19, 2014

Longtime Quds Force chief Brigadier General Qassem Soleimani is reportedly in Baghdad, which indicates the severity of the crisis.
Iran Is the Biggest Loser in Iraq Aki Peritz June 14, 2014

A spokesman at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad emailed that no one was available to discuss this story.
Veteran Foes Ahmad Chalabi, Ayad Allawi Unite Against Iraq’s Prime Minister Aram Roston December 5, 2011

And, ostensibly, it was the diplomats and generals of the Indian administration who ran the show in Baghdad.
Gertrude of Arabia, the Woman Who Invented Iraq Clive Irving June 16, 2014

The war launched to achieve regime change in Baghdad metastasized into three wars.
Stop Pretending the War Is Over Andrew J. Bacevich August 19, 2010

Historical Examples

I had, while in Baghdad, written out a small list of Arabian words, so that I might procure what was most necessary.
A Woman’s Journey Round the World Ida Pfeiffer

What was fun to them in Baghdad is fun to us in London after a thousand years.
Views and Reviews William Ernest Henley

This marvellous city, equal in grandeur to Baghdad, was a great beacon-light of culture for three hundred years.
Old Continental Towns Walter M. Gallichan

That ought to have determined our attitude on the minor Baghdad point.
Experiences of a Dug-out, 1914-1918 Sir Stanley Maude

Another local plague is the famous button, which is found from Aleppo to Baghdad, and is believed to go back to the days of Job.
The Cradle of Mankind W.A. Wigram

noun
the capital of Iraq, on the River Tigris: capital of the Abbasid Caliphate (762–1258). Pop: 5 910 000 (2005 est)
noun
a republic in SW Asia, on the Persian Gulf: coextensive with ancient Mesopotamia; became a British mandate in 1920, independent in 1932, and a republic in 1958. The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait (1990) led to their defeat in the first Gulf War (1991) by US-led UN forces. The second Gulf War (2003) took place when Iraq was invaded by a coalition of US, UK and other forces; government elected in 2005, although there is continuing violence and resistance to the coalition presence; the last coalition troops left the country in 2011. Iraq consists chiefly of the mountains of Kurdistan in the northeast, part of the Syrian Desert, and the lower basin of the Rivers Tigris and Euphrates. Oil is the major export. Official language: Arabic; Kurdish is official in the Kurdish Autonomous Region only. Official religion: Muslim. Currency: dinar. Capital: Baghdad. Pop: 31 858 481 (2013 est). Area: 438 446 sq km (169 284 sq miles)

a pre-Islamic name apparently of Indo-European origin and probably meaning “gift of god,” with the first element related to Russian bog “god” and the second to English donor. Marco Polo (13c.) wrote it Baudac.

country name, 1920, from an Arabic name attested since 6c. for the region known in Greek as Mesopotamia; often said to be from Arabic `araqa, covering notions such as “perspiring, deeply rooted, well-watered,” which may reflect the impression the lush river-land made on desert Arabs. But the name may be from, or influenced by, Sumerian Uruk (Biblical Erech), anciently a prominent city in what is now southern Iraq (from Sumerian uru “city”).

Capital of Iraq, located in central Iraq on both banks of the Tigris River.

Note: Baghdad has long been one of the great cities of the Muslim world.

Note: It was bombed heavily during the Persian Gulf War.

Iraq [(i-rak, i-rahk)]

Republic in the Middle East, bordered by the Persian Gulf, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia to the south; Jordan and Syria to the west; Turkey to the north; and Iran to the east. Its capital and largest city is Baghdad.

Note: The ancient civilization of Mesopotamia emerged in the valley between the Euphrates River and Tigris River in what is now Iraq.

Note: Ruled by Saddam Hussein, a dictator who invaded Iran in 1980 and Kuwait in 1990. (See also Persian Gulf War.)