Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - zion

 I. noun  also Sion  Etymology: Middle English Sion, from Old English, citadel in Palestine which was the nucleus of Jerusalem, from Late Latin, from Greek Seion, from Hebrew ?iyon  Date: 14th century  1.  a. the Jewish people ; Israel  b. the Jewish homeland that is symbolic of Judaism or of Jewish national aspiration  c. the ideal nation or society envisaged by Judaism  2. heaven  3. utopia  II. geographical name  1. city NE Illinois N of Waukegan population 22,866  2. (or Mount ~) (or Sion) (or Mount Sion) hill E Jerusalem, Israel; originally the stronghold of Jerusalem conquered by David; occupied in ancient times by the Jewish Temple