or O·de·sa (ō-dĕs'ə) A city of southern Ukraine on Odessa Bay, an arm of the Black Sea. Said to occupy the site of an ancient Greek colony that disappeared between the 3rd and 4th centuries A.D., Odessa was established as a Tartar fortress in the 14th century, passed to Turkey in 1764, and was captured by Russia in the 1790s. It is a major port, naval base, and resort. Population: 1,010,000.

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.