pen·in·sula [peninsulapeninsulas] BrE [pəˈnɪnsjələ] NAmE [pəˈnɪnsələ] noun an area of land that is almost surrounded by water but is joined to a larger piece of land •the Iberian peninsula (= Spain and Portugal)
Word Origin: mid 16th cent.: from Latin paeninsula, from paene ‘almost’ insula ‘island’.