Definition

1. Proper noun:
   • A state in the Midwestern United States: Kansas is a U.S. state known for its agricultural production, particularly wheat.
   • A member of a Siouan people: A Kansas is a person belonging to a Native American tribe historically located in the Kansas River valley.
   • A river in the United States: The Kansas River is a tributary of the Missouri River, flowing through the state of Kansas.
   • A dialect of the Dhegiha language: Kansas refers to the dialect spoken by the Kansa people.

Usage Examples

• Proper noun (U.S. State):

  • They drove across Kansas on their road trip.
  • Wichita is the largest city in Kansas.

• Proper noun (Native American people):

  • The Kansas, along with the Osage, are Dhegiha Siouan peoples.
  • A Kansas elder shared stories of the tribe's history.

• Proper noun (River):

  • The Kansas River converges with the Missouri River at Kansas City.
  • Flooding along the Kansas can affect nearby communities.

• Proper noun (Dialect):

  • Linguists have recorded the Kansas dialect for preservation.
  • Few fluent speakers of Kansas remain.

Advanced Usage

• "Bleeding Kansas": A historical term referring to the period of violent conflict (1854-1861) over the issue of slavery in the Kansas Territory before it became a state.
  • The tensions of Bleeding Kansas were a precursor to the American Civil War.

Variants and Related Words

• Kansan (noun): A native or resident of the state of Kansas.

  • She is a proud Kansan from Topeka.

• Kansa (noun): An alternate spelling for the Native American tribe or people; also the root for the state's name.

  • The Kansa people were known to early French explorers.

Synonyms

• Sunflower State (noun): The official nickname for the state of Kansas.
• Jayhawk State (noun): Another common nickname for Kansas.

Related Phrases

• "Dorothy from Kansas": A cultural reference to the main character from , famously from Kansas.
  • In the movie, Dorothy repeats, "There's no place like home," referring to her farm in Kansas.

Noun

1. the Dhegiha dialect spoken by the Kansa
2. a river in northeastern Kansas; flows eastward to become a tributary of the Missouri River
3. a member of the Siouan people of the Kansas river valley in Kansas
4. a state in midwestern United States