Iraq

name

Etymology: Borrowed from Arabic الْعِرَاق (al-ʕirāq, “Iraq”).

1. A country in West Asia in the Middle East. Official name: Republic of Iraq. Capital and largest city: Baghdad.

   “The AK-47s handed in would then be registered in the database before being redistributed to new units formed as Iraq takes over security control from U.S.-led forces, he said.”

2. An expansive medieval region of West Asia, including not only the modern territories of Iraq but also large parts of western Iran (the so-called Persian Iraq).