aberdeen

IPA/æb.əˈdiːn/
KK[ˈæbɚdˌin]IPA/æb.ɚˈdiːn/

aberdeen — noun

1. A port city on the North Sea coast of northeastern Scotland, long known for fish

1.nounB1
Definition

A port city on the North Sea coast of northeastern Scotland, long known for fishing and, since the 1970s, as the main base for Britain's oil and gas industry. Many of its buildings are built from grey granite stone, which is why people call it the 'Granite City'.

Example

Tomás worked for an oil company in Aberdeen for nearly ten years.

collocation: work in Aberdeen (oil-industry context)

Kian took the night train from London to Aberdeen to visit his uncle.

proper noun: a destination you travel to

Common collocations
  • the port of Aberdeen
  • the streets of Aberdeen
  • born in Aberdeen
Synonyms
  • the Granite City

    informal nickname pointing to the same place; used in tourism writing

Usage Note

Names the port city itself. Distinguish from sense 2, which covers the wider council area around it, and sense 3, the unrelated small city in the United States.

Common Mistakes

Aberdeen is the capital of Scotland.
Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland; Aberdeen is its third-largest city.
Aberdeen is well known but is not the capital.

2. A larger administrative region in northeastern Scotland that runs along the Nort

2.nounB2
Definition

A larger administrative region in northeastern Scotland that runs along the North Sea coast around the city of the same name. The region covers about 6,300 square kilometres and includes many farms, small towns, and fishing villages outside the main city.

Example

Imran works for the council that looks after schools across the whole of Aberdeen.

proper noun: the administrative region

Many small farms in the south of Aberdeen produce milk and beef cattle.

highlights wider rural region, not the city

Common collocations
  • the council of Aberdeen
  • across Aberdeen
  • the countryside of Aberdeen
Synonyms
  • Aberdeenshire

    the older name for much of the same area; some maps still use it

Usage Note

Refers to the wider council area, including towns and countryside outside the main city. Distinguish from sense 1, which names only the port city itself.

3. A small city in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of South Dakota, with a

3.nounC1
Definition

A small city in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of South Dakota, with a population of about 26,000 people. It serves as a market and service centre for the farms and small towns around it.

Example

Eitan grew up on a wheat farm just outside Aberdeen, South Dakota.

highlights US disambiguator: South Dakota

Evelyn drove from Sioux Falls to Aberdeen to visit her grandmother last weekend.

collocation: drive to Aberdeen (US context)

Common collocations
  • Aberdeen, South Dakota
  • downtown Aberdeen

Usage Note

Refers to the small American city, not the Scottish one. Speakers usually add 'South Dakota' or the state name to avoid confusion with sense 1.

Common Mistakes

I flew from New York to Aberdeen, the famous Scottish city.' (when meaning the US one)
I flew from New York to Aberdeen, South Dakota.
without the state name, listeners assume the Scottish city.

Word family

  • Aberdonian
    adjectiveC1
  • Aberdonian
    nounC1
  • Aberdeenshire
    nounC1

Common collocations

Nouns

  • the port of Aberdeen
  • the people of Aberdeen
  • the streets of Aberdeen

Phrases

  • a trip to Aberdeen
  • born in Aberdeen
  • live in Aberdeen

Prepositions

  • in Aberdeen
  • to Aberdeen
  • from Aberdeen
  • near Aberdeen

Etymology

PictishScottish GaelicScotsEnglish

The name joins two old Celtic words: 'aber', meaning a river mouth, and 'Deen', the name of the River Don (and, in older spellings, the River Dee that also meets the sea here). So the name describes the city's setting where these rivers reach the North Sea.