the largest island in the Mediterranean, separated from the tip of SW Italy by the Strait of Messina: administratively an autonomous region of Italy; settled by Phoenicians, Greeks, and Carthaginians before the Roman conquest of 241 bc; under Normans (12th–13th centuries); formed the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies with Naples in 1815; mountainous and volcanic. Capital: Palermo. Pop: 4 972 124 (2003 est). Area: 25 460 sq km (9830 sq miles)
Latin names: Sicilia, Trinacria. Italian name: Sicilia
Sicily in American English
(ˈsɪsəli)
1.
island of Italy, off its S tip
2.
region of Italy, comprising this island & small nearby islands: 9,926 sq mi (25,708 sq km); pop. 4,966,000; cap. Palermo