(Abbr. WY or Wyo.) A state of the western United States. It was admitted as the 44th state in 1890. Acquired by the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase (1803), Wyoming became a ranching center after the Union Pacific Railroad was established (1868). Cheyenne is the capital and the largest city. Population: 523,000.

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.