Cham·plain (sh?m-pl?n?), Lake A lake of northeast New York, northwest Vermont, and southern Quebec, Canada. It was the site of important battles in the French and Indian War, the American Revolution, and the War of 1812. The region has many popular resorts.Cham·plain (sh?m-pl?n?, shäN-pl?N?), Samuel de 1567?-1635. French explorer who founded Port Royal, now Annapolis Royal, in Nova Scotia (1605) and established a settlement (1608) on the site of present-day Quebec.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.Champlain (?æm?ple?n) n (Placename) Lake Champlain a lake in the northeastern US, between the Green Mountains and the Adirondack Mountains: linked by the Champlain Canal to the Hudson River and by the Richelieu River to the St Lawrence; a major communications route in colonial timesChamplain (?æm?ple?n; French ???pl??) n (Biography) Samuel de (samy?l d?). ?1567?1635, French explorer; founder of Quebec (1608) and governor of New France (1633?35)Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014Cham?plain (?æm?ple?n) n. 1. Samuel de, 1567?1635, French explorer: founder of Quebec; first colonial governor 1633?35. 2. Lake, a lake between New York and Vermont. 125 mi. (200 km) long; ab. 600 sq. mi. (1550 sq. km). Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.