A city of southwest Netherlands northeast of The Hague. Dating from Roman times, Leiden has had an important textile industry since the 16th century. Its university, founded in 1575, was a noted center for the study of theology, science, and medicine in the 17th and 18th centuries. Population: 117,000.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
