Constantinople

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Constantinople \Constantinople\ prop. n.
     the former capital of the Eastern Roman Empire; it was built
     on the site of ancient Byzantium, and the name was changed to
     Istanbul by the Turks.
  
     Syn: Istanbul, Stambul, Stamboul.


          [WordNet 1.5]
  
     Note: The name change was the subject of a humorous song in
           the 1950's "Istanbul (not Constantinople)":
           Artists: The Four Lads -- peak Billboard position # 10
           in 1953 -- Words by Jimmy Kennedy and Music by Nat
           Simon -- (C) Chappell & Co. Istanbul was Constantinople
           Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople Been a long time
           gone, Constantinople Now it's Turkish delight on a
           moonlit night Every gal in Constantinople Lives in
           Istanbul, not Constantinople So if you've a date in
           Constantinople She'll be waiting in Istanbul Even old
           New York Was once New Amsterdam Why they changed it I
           can't say People just liked it better that way Take me
           back to Constantinople No, you can't go back to
           Constantinople Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople
           Why did Constantinople get the works? That's nobody's
           business but the Turks'
           [PJC]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  Constantinople
       n : the largest city and former capital of Turkey; rebuilt on
           the site of ancient Byzantium by Constantine I in the
           fourth century; renamed Constantinople by Constantine who
           made it the capital of the Byzantine Empire; now the seat
           of the Eastern Orthodox Church [syn: {Istanbul}, {Stambul},
            {Stamboul}]