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texas

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(tek′səs)

noun

a structure on the hurricane deck of a steamboat, containing the officers' quarters, etc. and having the pilothouse on top or in front

Origin: name given to officers' quarters on Mississippi steamboats because they were the largest cabins

state of the SW U.S., on the Gulf of Mexico & the Mexican border: admitted, 1845; 261,797 sq mi (678,052 sq km); pop. 20,852,000; cap. Austin: abbrev. TX or Tex

Origin: Sp Texas, earlier pronounced (tā·s̸häs), orig. an ethnic name < Caddo tayša, friends, allies

See texas in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun

A structure on a river steamboat containing the pilothouse and the officers' quarters.

Origin:

Origin: After Texas (from the fact that steamboat cabins were named after states and the officers' quarters were the largest)

A state of the south-central United States. It was admitted as the 28th state in 1845. Explored by the Spanish in the 16th and 17th centuries, the region became a province of Mexico in the early 19th century. Texans won their independence in 1836 after a gallant but losing stand at the Alamo in February and a defeat of Santa Anna's forces at the Battle of San Jacinto (April 21). Denied admission as a state by antislavery forces in the U.S. Congress, the leaders of Texas formed an independent republic that lasted until 1845. Austin is the capital and Houston the largest city. Population: 23,900,000.

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