New York
Preserved but no longer current.
The first settlements here were made on Manhattan Island by the Dutch in 1614. Manhattan Island was bought from the Indians for cloth and trinkets to the total value of about £5. Under the name of New Amster- dam it was held by the Dutch until 1644.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Examples
Tatoeba sentence #1513728 (CC BY 2.0 FR, tatoeba.org, retrieved 2026-07-31)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “New York” mean?
The first settlements here were made on Manhattan Island by the Dutch in 1614. Manhattan Island was bought from the Indians for cloth and trinkets to the total value of about £5. Under the name of New Amster- dam it was held by the Dutch until 1644.
Is “New York” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.