Memphis

(mĕmˈfĭs)

1. An ancient city of Egypt south of Cairo. Reputedly founded by Menes, the first king of united Egypt, it retained its primacy until the conquest of Egypt by Alexander the Great. Its remains include an extensive necropolis.
2. A city of southwest Tennessee on the Mississippi River near the Mississippi border. Established and named (1819) by Andrew Jackson on the site of a fort built in 1797, it was an important Union base after its capture by federal troops in 1862 during the Civil War. Memphis is today a major port and a tourist center famous for its associations with blues music. Population: 671,000.