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Q: Meaning of Name "Colombia" ( Answered 2 out of 5 stars,   3 Comments )
Question  
Subject: Meaning of Name "Colombia"
Category: Reference, Education and News > General Reference
Asked by: rtrac3y-ga
List Price: $2.00
Posted: 07 Aug 2006 18:34 PDT
Expires: 06 Sep 2006 18:34 PDT
Question ID: 753639
Because "Columba" means "dove" in Spanish, isn't it true that the name
of the South American country Colombia means "Doveland"?
Answer  
Subject: Re: Meaning of Name "Colombia"
Answered By: livioflores-ga on 07 Aug 2006 21:54 PDT
Rated:2 out of 5 stars
 
Hi!!


The answer to your question is no, the name Colombia has its origin in
the name of the explorer who discovered America, Christopher Columbus
(Cristóbal Colón in Spanish, Cristoforo Colombo in Italian):
"Colombia's name references the explorer Christopher Columbus. The
name was conceived by the revolutionary Francisco de Miranda as a
reference to the New World, especially to all American territories and
colonies under Spanish and Portuguese rule. The name originally
belonged to a short-lived republic consisting of present-day Colombia,
Venezuela, Ecuador, and Panama (see Great Colombia). This republic
collapsed in 1830 when Venezuela and Ecuador separated, and the
Cundinamarca region which remained became a new country, the Republic
of New Granada. In 1863 New Granada changed its name officially to
United States of Colombia, and in 1886 adopted its present day name:
Republic of Colombia."
From "Colombia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - Origin and history
of the name -":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colombia#Origin_and_history_of_the_name


Search strategy:
Colombia name origin

I hope this helps you.

Regards,
livioflores-ga
rtrac3y-ga rated this answer:2 out of 5 stars
My question seeks an etymological answer ('meaning'), not an
historical answer ('when'), as given here.

Comments  
Subject: Re: Meaning of Name "Colombia"
From: pafalafa-ga on 07 Aug 2006 18:47 PDT
 
If it does, then Washington must mean Cleaning-Up-Town
Subject: Re: Meaning of Name "Colombia"
From: alanna-ga on 07 Aug 2006 18:51 PDT
 
"Columbia" is the Latin-ized form of Columbus as in Christopher.  It
sort of means Columbus-land.  It has nothing to do with the word
"dove."
Subject: Re: Meaning of Name "Colombia"
From: rtrac3y-ga on 22 Aug 2006 16:02 PDT
 
Clever, but somewhat off-base. The suffix "ton" does derive from
"town," but the the root "wash" derives from the Indo-European "wed,"
meaning "water" or "wet"; therefore, "Washington" must mean
"Watering-Town" or "Wetting-Town."

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