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proper noun

Lille

/lil/

proper noun/lil/

Lille (the capital of Nord department and the Hauts-de-France region, France)

Related: lillois, Lillois, Lilloise

Inherited from Old French l'Isle (“the Island”), from Latin Īnsula, from īnsula (“island”), whence also île. The name was resegmented (like its Dutch counterpart Rijsel): in à l'Isle (“at the Isle”), the definite article came to be considered part of the name, and it was thus interpreted as à Lille.