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California

California

∞ 1.0
A large state in the western United States on the Pacific coast known for beaches and frequent earthquakes
  • proper noun
  • /ˌkælɪˈfɔrnjə/
: California
  • The recent earthquake in California reminded residents of the state's seismic activity.
  • University of California
  • Southern California
  • Los Angeles, California

That's sailing from, I think it was California to Hawaii.

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Examples

  • His father lives in California.

  • The Moss Landing power station is near Monterey Bay in California, a state already facing issues over water.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Folks, the majority of people in California do not support Donald Trump.

  • I got access to the California State Death Index.

  • We're going to make California competitive again.

  • Michael L. Ross is Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Los Angeles.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Now here we are in the state of California where we overshot.

  • For example, only approximately half of California farmworkers received medical care in the previous year.

    Academic text (2011)
  • His mother and stepfather had gone to California during World War II in search of work.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Support for this project was provided by the Trust for America's Health and The California Endowment.

    Academic text (2011)

Synonyms

Calif.
vsCalifornia
124 1.0

A state in the United States on the west coast called California

is the full state name rather than an abbreviated written form
CA
vsCalifornia
107 1.0

A state in the western United States on the Pacific coast

is the complete state name rather than a postal code
cal
vsCalifornia
  • Informal
51 9.1

A short informal name for the US state of California

is the formal full state name used in neutral contexts
Golden State
vsCalifornia
15 3.5

A popular nickname for the state of California from the Gold Rush

is the official geographical name without nickname connotations

Compounds

A large public university in Berkeley, California known for research and teaching

A large endangered vulture that lives in western North America with black feathers and white patches under its wings

A sushi roll that has avocado, crab or imitation crab, and cucumber with rice on the outside

A long narrow sea between the Baja California Peninsula and the mainland of northwestern Mexico

Wine made in the US state of California, often from regions like Napa or Sonoma

A very tall evergreen tree with reddish-brown bark that grows on the coast of California and southern Oregon

A long narrow peninsula with mountains in northwest Mexico that separates the Pacific Ocean from the Gulf of California

California poppy
  • Specialized
1 4.4

A small plant with bright yellow or orange flowers that grows on California hillsides

A large brown sea animal with ear flaps often trained for shows

California live oak
  • Specialized
1 8.2

An evergreen oak tree with small, thick, spiny dark green leaves that grows on the coast of California

California quail
  • Specialized
1 5.6

A plump, short-tailed bird with a feather that bends forward on its head

A low grey bush that grows near the coast and smells strong when you touch its leaves

A plant with yellow flower heads and leaves like a cat's ear

A mountainous peninsula in northwestern Mexico also called Baja California

A small shrub with bright red, tube-shaped flowers that attract hummingbirds

1 8.0

A low shrub with grey, silvery leaves that grows on dry coastal hills in California

A low shrub with spreading branches and small clusters of flowers found in western United States deserts

A coastal tree with fragrant leaves, small flowers, and olive-like fruit

California olive
  • Specialized
1 8.8

A coastal tree with fragrant leaves, small clusters of creamy flowers, and olive-like fruit

A 1978 U.S. Supreme Court case allowing race as a factor in medical school admissions but banning strict racial quotas

A medium-sized tree from California with fragrant leaves and edible nuts

1 9.9

A large plant with leaves like a fern, small white flowers, and all parts very poisonous if eaten

California yew
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A small or medium tree that grows on the Pacific coast and has strong, fine-grained wood

A plant with bell-shaped blue or violet flowers often grown in gardens

California newt
  • Specialized
1 7.2

A small poisonous salamander with rough skin that lives in California

A tall tree with pale, peeling bark and large lobed leaves

A tall bush with many branches, native to California and Mexico, with silvery-blue leaves and large fragrant white flowers

A questionnaire of yes or no questions that measures people's personality and behavior

A bush with sweet-smelling brown flowers from the southwestern United States

A bush with soft leaves and bright yellow flowers

A large tree with dark bark and deeply lobed leaves that loses them in autumn

A maple tree that grows on the Pacific coast of the United States with white fruit

An evergreen shrub often used in gardens that has small red or black berries

An evergreen bush in the western United States that produces small red or black berries

A brown mushroom that looks like a morel and grows under pines in California and can be poisonous

A wildflower with purple-red flowers that open in the late afternoon

A rare wild orchid with yellow-green flowers and a white pouch found in northern California and southwestern Oregon

A tree from the west coast of North America with strong-smelling leaves and hard wood

8.6

A sticky plant with hanging yellow flowers that grows in dry places in the southwestern United States

California nutmeg
  • Specialized
9.9

An evergreen tree with seeds like nutmeg that taste strongly of turpentine

8.5

A marsh plant from northern California and Oregon with twisted cup-shaped leaves that trap insects and hanging yellow-green flowers

California pompano
  • Specialized
7.8

A small silver sea fish found near warm coasts such as the West Indies

California privet
  • Specialized
8.6

A partly evergreen shrub often used for hedges that stays green most of the year but has smelly flowers

California redbud
  • Specialized
7.5

A small bush from the western United States with pink or red flowers that often grows in thick groups

A low bush with soft, fuzzy leaves that smell like sage, common in southern California

A small pine tree from California that has single needles and cones with edible seeds

To slow but not stop fully at a stop sign or red light

California whipsnake
  • Specialized
8.8

A slender fast snake that lives among rocks and bushes in California

California white fir
  • Specialized
7.9

A medium to tall fir tree that grows in the western United States and has soft wood

California white oak
  • Specialized
6.6

A tall oak tree from California that loses its leaves in winter and has leathery leaves and slender acorns

A small bush from California with large pink or purple flowers that people grow in gardens

Surface Forms

California main

Etymology

California comes from a 16th-century Spanish story about a rich island ruled by the powerful queen Calafia, and early explorers borrowed that name for the real land they found. A helpful way to remember this is that Calafia is linked to the word caliph, meaning 'ruler', so California became the name of a place thought of as grand and powerful.