1. a
reference to Roanoke Island, located off the northeast
coast of
North Carolina, USA, and the site of the first
English settlements in
North America. Roanoke became famous for the mysterious disappearance of a
colony of 107 settlers in the
late 1500s. They arrived on the island in 1587 to find it inhospitable and the
local Indians unfriendly. A few years later a
supply ship came to the island but the settlers had disappeared,
virtually without a
trace, and the exact
fate of the
colony was never discovered. 2. a city in
Virginia, USA, on the Roanoke River. Originally settled in 1740, the city was named Roanoke in 1882. The small pioneer town eventually
developed into one of the largest cities in
Virginia, becoming an industrial center and
producing railroad cars, metal and
steel products, clothing, chemicals and furniture.