A region and former kingdom of southeast Spain on the Mediterranean Sea. Settled by Carthaginians, it was conquered by the Moors in the 8th century and became an independent Moorish kingdom in the 11th century. It was annexed by Castile in 1266.

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.