tripoli

UK: 'Tripoli': /ˈtrɪpəli/; 'tripoli': /ˈtrɪpəlɪ/

US: (trip′ə lē)

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

tripoli / ˈtrɪpəlɪ/ noun

1. a lightweight porous siliceous rock derived by weathering and used in a powdered form as a polish, filter, etc

Etymology: 17th Century: named after Tripoli, in Libya or in Lebanon

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

Trip•o•li  (trip′ə lē), n. 

Also, Trip•o•li•ta•ni•a  (trip′ə li tā′nē ə, -tān′yə; It. trē′pô lē tä′nyä). one of the former Barbary States of N Africa: later a province of Turkey;
now a part of Libya.
1. Place Names a seaport in and the capital of Libya, in the NW part. 551,477.
2. Place Names a seaport in N Lebanon, on the Mediterranean. 175,000.
3. (l.c.) any of several siliceous substances, as rottenstone and infusorial earth, used chiefly in polishing.

Tri•pol•i•tan  (tri pol′i tn), n., adj. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

Tripoli / ˈtrɪpəlɪ/ noun

1. the capital and chief port of Libya, in the northwest on the Mediterranean: founded by Phoenicians in about the 7th century bc; the only city that has survived of the three (Oea, Leptis Magna, and Sabratha) that formed the African Tripolis ("three cities"); fishing and manufacturing centre. Pop: 1 223 300 (2002 est)
   Ancient name: Oea / ˈiːə/
   Arabic name: Tarabulus el Gharb
2. a port in N Lebanon, on the Mediterranean: the second largest town in Lebanon; taken by the Crusaders in 1109 after a siege of five years; oil-refining and manufacturing centre. Pop: 1 126 145 (2015 est)
   Ancient name: Tripolis
   Arabic name: Tarabulus esh Sham