A city of southeast France on an arm of the Mediterranean Sea west-northwest of Toulon. The oldest city of France, it was founded c. 600 B.C. by Greeks from Asia Minor and overrun by barbarian tribes in the 5th and 6th centuries A.D. Marseille became independent in the 13th century and passed to France in 1481. Today it is an industrial center and a major seaport. Population: 821,000.
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.
