Louisiana Purchase: Meaning and Definition of

Loui'sian'a Pur'chase

Pronunciation: [key]
— U.S. Hist. U.S. Hist.
  1. a treaty signed with France in 1803 by which the U.S. purchased for $15,000,000 the land extending from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains and from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico.
  2. the land included in this purchase.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.