English
Prickly Pear Cays
Prickly Pear Cays comes from English pear ‘Opuntia sp’.
- English1500–presentpear‘Opuntia sp’
- EnglishtodayPrickly Pear Cays
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- English1500–presentpear‘Opuntia sp’
- EnglishtodayPrickly Pear Cays
Made of the words Prickly + Pear + Cays
Latin pirum ‘a pear (fruit)’
Vulgar Latin pira
Proto-West Germanic *peru
Old English pere
Middle English pere
English Pear
The story
The island is named for the presence of prickly pear (‘Opuntia sp.’).
Linked words
through English pear ‘Opuntia sp’
Today it means
name A small archipelago of Anguilla.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / English pear / Prickly Pear Cays