a state of the southwestern US, on the Gulf of Mexico: the second largest state; part of Mexico from 1821 to 1836, when it was declared an independent republic; joined the US in 1845; consists chiefly of a plain, with a wide flat coastal belt rising up to the semiarid Sacramento and Davis Mountains of the southwest; a major producer of cotton, rice, and livestock; the chief US producer of oil and gas; a leading world supplier of sulphur. Capital: Austin. Pop: 22 118 509 (2003 est). Area: 678 927 sq km (262 134 sq miles)
Abbreviation: Tex. or (with zip code) TX
Texas in American English
(ˈtɛksəs)
state of the SW U.S., on the Gulf of Mexico & the Mexican border: admitted, 1845; 261,797 sq mi (678,052 sq km); pop. 20,852,000; cap. Austin
abbrev. TX or Tex
Word origin
Sp Texas, earlier pronounced (teʹshäs), orig. an ethnic name < Caddo tayša, friends, allies
texas in American English
(ˈtɛksəs)
noun US
a structure on the hurricane deck of a steamboat, containing the officers' quarters, etc. and having the pilothouse on top or in front
Word origin
name given to officers' quarters on Mississippi steamboats because they were the largestcabins
an infectious disease of cattle caused by various sporozoans (genus Babesia ) that invade the red blood cells and are carried by various ticks (esp. genus Boophilus ); babesiosis
Texas hedge
the opposite of a normal hedging operation , in which risk is increased by buying more than one financial instrument of the same kind
Texas tower
an offshore platform erected on firm foundations or steel legs planted deeply in the sea bottom: used for supporting radar installations , navigation beacons , etc.
Texas leaguer
a fly ball that falls in fair territory between the infield and outfield
Texas Ranger
any member of a division ( Texas Rangers ) of the Texas state police
Texas Rangers
the state police of Texas , originally formed in the 19th century to defend outlying regions against Native Americans and Mexicans and to fight lawlessness
Texas longhorn
a long-horned breed of beef cattle , usually red or variegated , formerly common in SW US
Texas hold 'em
a popular variety of poker in which each player can use any or all of five shared cards in combination with either or both of two private cards to form the best possible hand of five cards
hold 'em
a variety of poker in which each player is dealt two cards face down and may use either or both of them, in combination with any of five cards dealt face up and shared by all players, to form the best possible hand
black-water fever
a form of babesiosis seen in cattle, deer , bison , water buffalo , African buffalo, and reindeer ; characterized by fever, depression , jaundice , dark red-black discolouration of the urine , anaemia , and death
longhorn
a long-horned breed of beef cattle , usually red or variegated , formerly common in SW US