Etymograph

English

Honduras

Honduras comes from Spanish hondura ‘depths’, from hondo ‘deep’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰudʰmḗn ‘bottom’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰudʰmḗn‘bottom’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰudʰnósreconstructed
  3. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰundʰósreconstructed
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*fundosreconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfundus‘bottom’
  6. Old Spanishc. 950–1500fondo
  7. Spanishc. 1500–presenthondo‘deep’
  8. Spanish, derivedc. 1500–presenthonduraas honduras‘depths’
  9. Englishearliest quotation 2025Honduras

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Earlier history uncertain.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰudʰmḗn‘bottom’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰudʰnósreconstructed
  3. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰundʰósreconstructed
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*fundosreconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfundus‘bottom’
  6. Old Spanishc. 950–1500fondo
  7. Spanishc. 1500–presenthondo‘deep’
  8. Spanish, derivedc. 1500–presenthonduraas honduras‘depths’
  9. Englishearliest quotation 2025Honduras

Earliest quotation: 2025, Priscilla Alvarez, Trump administration launches nationwide immigration enforce: “In the Atlanta suburb of Lilburn, ICE agents arrested…”

The story

It may also come from the alleged Columbus quote, "Gracias a Dios que hemos salido de esas honduras" ("Thank god we have departed from those depths"), said during his fourth and final voyage in 1502.

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *dʰewbʰ- ‘to sink in’

deep, depth, dave, dumb, dip, deaf, dove, dub, bottomless, typhus, doof, 19 more

through Proto-Indo-European *bʰudʰmḗn ‘bottom’

bottom, bot, bourne, 13 more

through Proto-Indo-European *bʰudʰnós

butte, 8 more

through Proto-Italic *fundos

fundamental, profundity, fonds, fundus, 8 more

through Latin fundus ‘bottom’

fund, foundation, founder, fond, honda, 12 more

Today it means

name A country in Central America. Official name: Republic of Honduras. Capital: Tegucigalpa.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰudʰmḗn / Honduras

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