helena

IPA/ˈhel.ə.nə/
KK[hˈɛlənə]IPA/ˈhel.ə.nə/

helena — noun

1. a city in the Rocky Mountain region of western Montana that serves as the state'

1.nounA2
Definition

a city in the Rocky Mountain region of western Montana that serves as the state's capital and seat of government.

Example

Karim moved to Helena in 2021 to work at the state capitol building.

The historic district of Helena has many buildings from the gold rush of the 1860s.

collocation: historic district of + [city]

Common collocations
  • capital of Montana
  • city of Helena
  • move to Helena
  • visit Helena
  • live in Helena
  • Helena, Montana

Usage Note

Helena is a proper noun and is not usually preceded by 'the' when it stands alone. 'The city of Helena' is a common longer form. The name is stressed on the second syllable: /hɛˈleɪ.nə/ or /ˈhɛl.ə.nə/.

Common Mistakes

Helena is the capital of Montana, it is a small city.
Helena, which is the capital of Montana, is a small city.
Use a comma or relative clause to connect two complete clauses.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Helena is a specific place name — the capital city of Montana — while 'Montana' refers to the entire state. A learner should not use 'Helena' to mean the whole state, or 'Montana' to mean the city. 'State capital' is a general term that can describe Helena or any other capital city. For example: 'Helena is the state capital of Montana' is correct; 'Helena is Montana' is not. Similarly, 'The state capital has about 30,000 people' is fine, but the listener would need context to know you mean Helena.

Helena ↗Montanastate capital

Common collocations

Nouns

  • city of Helena
  • Helena area
  • Helena valley
  • downtown Helena

Phrases

  • Helena, Montana
  • the capital of Montana

Prepositions

  • in Helena
  • to Helena
  • from Helena
  • near Helena
  • outside Helena

Etymology

GreekLatinEnglish

The city was founded in 1864 when gold was discovered in a nearby gulch. It was named after Helena, a town in Minnesota. That name ultimately comes from Saint Helena (c. 248–c. 328), the mother of the Roman emperor Constantine the Great. The Greek name Helénē (Ἑλένη) means 'torch' or 'bright light'.