Etymograph

English

San Salvador Island

San Salvador Island comes from Spanish isla ‘island’, and goes back to Ancient Greek νῆσος.

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEνῆσοςnêsos‘island’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEīnsula‘island’
  3. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*īsulareconstructed
  4. Old Spanishc. 950–1500isla
  5. Spanishc. 1500–presentsame form‘island’
  6. EnglishtodaySan Salvador Island

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Earlier history uncertain.

Lineage

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEνῆσοςnêsos‘island’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEīnsula‘island’
  3. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*īsulareconstructed
  4. Old Spanishc. 950–1500isla
  5. Spanishc. 1500–presentsame form‘island’
  6. EnglishtodaySan Salvador Island

The story

The identity of the Bahaman island that currently bears the name with Columbus's island is still highly contested.disputed Scholars disagree here; the competing view is quoted as the source gives it. The Ecuadorian island was renamed in honor of Columbus's in 1892 as part of the quadricentennial celebration of his voyage.

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *(s)neh₂- ‘to flow, to swim’

nurse, navigation, naval, navigate, nausea, nutrient, nurture, navigator, nutritious, navigable, nao, nourish, nau, astronautics, 22 more

through Latin īnsula ‘island’

insulin, insular, insula, 4 more

Today it means

name The first island discovered by Christopher Columbus during his first voyage.

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

Etymograph / Ancient Greek νῆσος / San Salvador Island

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