Nineveh

noun

1. the ancient capital of Assyria: its ruins are opposite Mosul, on the Tigris River, in N Iraq.

noun

1. an ancient empire in SW Asia: greatest extent from about 750 to 612 b.c. Capital: Nineveh.

noun

1. the ancient capital of Assyria, on the River Tigris opposite the present-day city of Mosul (N Iraq): at its height in the 8th and 7th centuries bc; destroyed in 612 bc by the Medes and Babylonians

noun

1. an ancient kingdom of N Mesopotamia: it established an empire that stretched from Egypt to the Persian Gulf, reaching its greatest extent between 721 and 633 bc . Its chief cities were Assur and Nineveh

Middle English, from Latin Assyria, from Greek Assyria, short for Assyria ge “the Assyrian land,” from fem. of Assyrios “pertaining to Assyria,” from Akkadian Ashshur, name of the chief city of the kingdom and also of a god, probably from Assyrian sar “prince.” (See also Syria).