1. or O·de·sa (ō-dĕsə) A city of southern Ukraine on Odessa Bay, an arm of the Black Sea. Said to occupy the site of an ancient Greek colony that disappeared between the 3rd and 4th centuries AD, Odessa was established as a Tatar fortress in the 14th century, passed to Turkey in 1764, and was captured by Russia in the 1790s. It is a major port, naval base, and resort.

2. A city of western Texas south-southwest of Lubbock. It grew after the discovery of oil in the 1920s.