originally the name of the river, from Dakota (Siouan) mnisota, literally "cloudy water, milky water," from mni "river, stream" + sota "slightly clouded." As the name of a U.S. territory from 1849 (admitted as a state 1858). Related: Minnesotan.
State in the north-central United States bordered by Manitoba and Ontario, Canada, to the north; Lake Superior and Wisconsin to the east; Iowa to the south; and South Dakota and North Dakota to the west. Its capital is St. Paul, and its largest city is Minneapolis.