What does alaska mean?
Alaska is the name of the largest state of the United States, occupying the northwestern corner of the North American continent and separated from the rest of the country by Canada. Acquired from Russia through the Alaska Purchase of 1867 for roughly $7.2 million — a deal initially mocked as 'Seward's Folly' — it was organized as a territory before achieving statehood in 1959 as the forty-ninth state. Known officially as 'the Last Frontier,' Alaska is celebrated for its vast wilderness, dramatic mountain ranges such as Denali, extensive glaciers, abundant wildlife, and sparse human population concentrated mainly in Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau, the capital. Its economy has historically rested on fishing, timber, oil, and tourism. Beyond its geographic sense, the word occasionally appears informally as shorthand for intense cold, as in describing a freezing room as feeling 'like Alaska.' The adjective form 'Alaskan' describes people, wildlife, or things originating there.
nounThe largest state of the United States, located in the far northwest of North America, separated from the contiguous states by Canada; also used as a proper noun referring to this territory.
- The U.S. state of Alaska, the largest state by area, situated in the northwest extremity of North America.
- (Informal) A very cold place or situation, as in the phrase 'it's like Alaska in here.'
"They spent two weeks exploring the glaciers of Alaska last summer."
"Alaska was purchased from Russia in 1867 and became the forty-ninth state in 1959."
"With the heating broken, the office felt positively Alaskan."
As a proper noun naming a single state, Alaska has no plural form.
"There is only one Alaska."
Bought from Russia in 1867 for about $7.2 million — roughly two cents an acre — 'Seward's Folly' turned out to be one of the greatest land bargains in history.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of alaska
The name Alaska derives from the Aleut (Unangam Tunuu) word 'alaxsxaq,' meaning roughly 'the object toward which the action of the sea is directed,' referring to the mainland. It entered English through the Russian colonial form 'Аляска' (Alyaska) during the period of Russian America in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and passed into common English usage after the United States acquired the territory in 1867.
Related word forms
How alaska is actually used
As a proper noun, Alaska is always capitalized and takes no article except in certain fixed expressions such as 'the State of Alaska.' The informal figurative use ('like Alaska') refers to extreme cold and is casual rather than formal.