British island of the Leeward group, in the West Indies: 39.5 sq mi (102 sq km); pop. in 1991 12,000 (reduced in 1997 after a volcanic eruption to 4,000)
See Montserrat in American Heritage Dictionary 4
An island in the Leeward Islands of the British West Indies northwest of Guadeloupe. Discovered and named by Columbus in 1493, it was colonized by the English after 1632 but held by the French at various periods before being awarded to Great Britain in 1783.