Ab·ys·sin·i·a (?b??-s?n??-?) See Ethiopia.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.Abyssinia (?æb??s?n??) n (Placename) a former name for EthiopiaCollins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014E?thi?o?pi?a (?i ?i?o? pi ?) n. 1. 1 Formerly, Abyssinia. a republic in E Africa: formerly a monarchy. 58,680,383; 424,724 sq. mi. (1,100,000 sq. km).Cap.: Addis Ababa. 2. Also called Abyssinia. an ancient kingdom in NE Africa, bordering on Egypt and the Red Sea. Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.