Tel A·viv-Ya·fo (t?l? ?-v?v?yä?f?, ä-v?v?-) or Tel A·viv-Jaf·fa (-j?f??, -yä?f?) A city of west-central Israel on the Mediterranean Sea west-northwest of Jerusalem. Tel Aviv was founded in 1909 by settlers from the ancient city of Jaffa. The communities merged in 1950.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.