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XANADU


NOUN

Xan· a· du ˈza-nə-ˌdü How to pronounce Xanadu (audio)
-ˌdyü

: an idyllic, exotic, or luxurious place



DID YOU KNOW?

In Xanadu did Kubla Khan / A stately pleasure-dome decree. Those lines are from
the poem "Kubla Khan" (published in 1816) by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
Coleridge's fantastic description of an exotic utopia fired public imagination
and ultimately contributed to the transition of "Xanadu" from a name to a
generalized term for an idyllic place. The Xanadu in the poem was inspired by
Shang-tu, the summer residence of Mongolian general and statesman Kublai Khan
(grandson of Genghis Khan). You might also recognize "Xanadu" as the name of the
fantastic estate in Orson Welles's 1941 film Citizen Kane.


WORD HISTORY

Etymology

Xanadu, locality in Kubla Khan (1798), poem by Samuel T. Coleridge

First Known Use

1919, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Xanadu was in 1919
See more words from the same year


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Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day
Xanadu

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 26, 2015 is:

Xanadu • \ZAN-uh-doo\  • noun
: an idyllic, exotic, or luxurious place

Examples:
To Arthur, the beach house was a Xanadu, the perfect spot for the romantic
tropical vacation he had dreamed of for years. "Others traveled to Tolchester
Beach, the Xanadu of the Chesapeake, aboard Wilson Line steamers…." — Frederick
N. Rasmussen, The Baltimore Sun, 31 July 2015

Did you know?
"In Xanadu did Kubla Khan / A stately pleasure-dome decree." Those lines are
from the poem "Kubla Khan" (published in 1816) by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
Coleridge's fantastic description of an exotic utopia fired public imagination
and ultimately contributed to the transition of Xanadu from a name to a
generalized term for an idyllic place. The Xanadu in the poem was inspired by
Shang-tu, the summer residence of Mongolian general and statesman Kublai Khan
(grandson of Genghis Khan). You might also recognize Xanadu as the name of the
fantastic estate in Orson Welles's 1941 film Citizen Kane and as the name of a
1980 musical film starring Olivia Newton-John.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at
https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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DICTIONARY ENTRIES NEAR XANADU

Xalapa

Xanadu

Xancidae

See More Nearby Entries 


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