EthiopiaE·thi·o·pi·a (??th?-??p?-?) Formerly Ab·ys·sin·i·a (?b??-s?n??-?) A country of northeast Africa. A kingdom was established around Aksum in the 1st century ad and declined in the 7th century. After a long period of disorder, the area was finally reunited in 1889 by Emperor Menelik II, who greatly expanded Ethiopia by conquest. Italy invaded in 1935 and held the country until 1941. Following the military overthrow of Emperor Haile Selassie I (ruled 1930-1974), a socialist state was established. The country suffered enormous hardship from war with rebels from the province of Eritrea (which gained its independence in 1993) and from famine and drought. Guerrilla forces toppled the government in 1991 and implemented a new democratic constitution (1994). Addis Ababa is the capital and the largest city.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.Ethiopia (?i??????p??) n (Placename) a state in NE Africa, on the Red Sea: consolidated as an empire under Menelik II (1889?1913); federated with Eritrea from 1952 until 1993; Emperor Haile Selassie was deposed by the military in 1974 and the monarchy was abolished in 1975; an independence movement in Eritrea was engaged in war with the government from 1961 until 1993. It lies along the Great Rift Valley and consists of deserts in the southeast and northeast and a high central plateau with many rivers (including the Blue Nile) and mountains rising over 4500 m (15 000 ft); the main export is coffee. Language: Amharic. Religion: Christian majority. Currency: birr. Capital: Addis Ababa. Pop: 93 877 025 (2013 est). Area: 1 128 215 sq km (435 614 sq miles). Former name: Abyssinia Collins 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.