seaport on the Coromandel Coast, India: capital of Tamil Nadu state: pop. 3,841,000
See Chennai in American Heritage Dictionary 4
(chə-nīˈ) Formerly Ma·dras(mə-drăsˈ, -dräsˈ)
A city of southeast India on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. Founded in 1639 as Fort St. George by the British East India Company, Chennai was held by the French from 1746 to 1749. It is today a major industrial, commercial, and cultural center with a thriving harbor (constructed 1862-1901). Population: 4,210,000.