Serbia

Borrowed from Medieval Latin Serbia, equivalent to modern Serb + -ia.

The 153-page ruling from the International Court of Justice means that modern-day Serbia will not have to pay restitution to Croatia, which in 1991 split from what was then Yugoslavia.

2015 February 3, Greg Botelho, “U.N. court: Serbs’ actions in Croatia not considered genocide”, in CNN:

Balkan Peninsula
Balkan Peninsula#English

Southeast Europe
Southeast Europe#English

Republic of Serbia
Republic of Serbia#English

Serbia and Montenegro
Serbia and Montenegro

A country on the Balkan Peninsula in Southeast Europe. Official name: Republic of Serbia. Capital and largest city: Belgrade. Part of Yugoslavia until 1992, then part of Serbia and Montenegro until 2006.

A geographic region of Southeast Europe.


Montenegro

→ Japanese: モンテネグロ (Monteneguro)

/mɒn.tɪˈnɛɡ.ɹəʊ/

Borrowed from Venetan Montenegro (from monte + negro, literally “black mountain”), a calque of Serbo-Croatian Cȓnā Gòra, referring to Mt Lovćen.

bor+

A man shot dead 12 people in a rampage in a small town in Montenegro before dying from self-inflicted injuries early on Thursday, authorities said, in one of the tiny Balkan nation’s worst mass killings.

2025 January 1, Reuters, “Suspect in Montenegro shooting dies from self-inflicted injuries after killing at least 12 people”, in CNN:

A country on the Balkan Peninsula in Southeast Europe. Capital and largest city: Podgorica. Part of Yugoslavia until 2003, then part of Serbia and Montenegro until 2006.


Archangel

We bore her down to the boat and aboard our vessel, and then getting up anchor we sailed away across the White Sea until the spires of Archangel sank down behind the horizon.

1885, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Man From Archangel:

Dated form of Arkhangelsk: a city in northwestern Russia.


Burgundy

From Late Latin Burgundia, from Burgundiones (“highlanders”), from Proto-Germanic *bergundijô, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰérǵʰonts (“high, mighty”). Doublet of Bourgogne.
Burgundy (wine) is an abbreviation of the attributive use of the regional name, in Burgundy wine.

der

administrative region
administrative region

A historical region and former administrative region of France; since 2016, part of the administrative region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté.


Canton

The town in Oklahoma was named for a nearby cantonment.

El Dorado County
El Dorado County#English

A former settlement in El Dorado County, California.

Several places in the United States:
A town in Hartford County, Connecticut.

Broadwater County
Broadwater County#English

A submerged ghost town in Broadwater County, Montana.

unincorporated community
unincorporated community

Lower Alloways Creek Township
Lower Alloways Creek Township#English

An unincorporated community in Lower Alloways Creek Township, Salem County, New Jersey.

Doddridge County
Doddridge County#English

An unincorporated community in Doddridge County, West Virginia.

An unincorporated community in Barron County, Wisconsin.


Turkey

desc

→ Chinese: 土雞 /土鸡 (tǔjī) (phono-semantic matching)

→ Hindi: तुर्की (turkī) (phono-semantic matching)

→ Korean: 터키 (Teoki)

→ Manx: Turkee

→ Urdu: تُرْکی (turkī) (phono-semantic matching)

From Middle English Turkye, from Anglo-Norman Turkye, Medieval Latin Turcia, from Turcus (“Turk”), from Byzantine Greek Τοῦρκος (Toûrkos), from Classical Persian تُرْک (turk), from Middle Persian [script needed] (twlk' /turk/), from Old Turkic 𐱅𐰇𐰼𐰜 (t²ür²k̥).

der

One Terrorgram user livestreamed himself stabbing five people outside of a mosque in Turkey, she said, and a 19-year-old Slovakian man praised the group in a manifesto before killing two people at an LGBTQ bar in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia.

2024 September 9, Hannah Rabinowitz, “Alleged leaders of White supremacist group charged in effort to encourage terrorism and hate crimes”, in CNN:

Southeastern Europe
Southeastern Europe#English

Republic of Türkiye
Republic of Türkiye#English

A country located in Eastern Thrace in Southeastern Europe and Anatolia in western Asia. Official name: Republic of Türkiye. Capital: Ankara.

Ҭырқтәыла

country at intersection of Europe and Asia


Sudetenland

Borrowed from German Sudetenland, named after the Sudeten mountain range, but encompassing a far greater area.

(historical) The northern, southern, and western border areas of former Czechoslovakia, which (until 1945) were inhabited mainly by German-speakers


Bohemia

Latinized translation of French Bohême, from Late Latin Boiohaemum, compound of Boio- (“the Boii”), the Celtic tribe previously inhabiting the area and Germanic *haimaz (“home”) (more at home). The endonym is from Proto-Celtic *boyos and could ultimately be from Proto-Indo-European *gʷṓws (“cattle”) (compare Proto-Celtic *bāus (“cattle”), genitive *bowos), a reference to cattle owners, or from *bʰeyh₂- (“to hit”), i.e. “warrior, strong hitter” (compare Proto-Celtic *binati (“to strike, hit”)).
Bohemia was abandoned by the Boii c. 60 BCE and settled by the Germanic Marcomanni shortly thereafter. Related to Bavaria.

An inner suburb of Hastings, East Sussex (OS grid ref TQ8010).

A hamlet in Redlynch parish, south-east Wiltshire (OS grid ref SU2019).

Plaquemines Parish
Plaquemines Parish#English

An unincorporated community in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana.

Ontonagon County
Ontonagon County#English

A township in Ontonagon County, Michigan.

A place name elsewhere:
A place in the United States:
A township in Knox County, Nebraska.

A township in Saunders County, Nebraska.

census-designated place
census-designated place

A hamlet and census-designated place in the town of Islip, Suffolk County, Long Island, New York.


Corsica

An island, department, and administrative region of France, in the Mediterranean to the north of Sardinia.


Rhineland

From the German Rheinland, equivalent to English Rhine + -land.

An unincorporated community in Knox County, Texas, United States.


Carinthia

Ultimately from Latin Carantania. Possibly of Celtic origin; compare Proto-Celtic *karants (“friend”). The Latin toponym was also borrowed into Slavic as Proto-Slavic *korǫtanъ (with an adjective *korǫtьskъ); compare Czech Korutany and Slovene Koroška (“Carinthia”).

A state of Austria. Capital: Klagenfurt.


Nazareth

Via Latin Nāzareth and Koine Greek Νᾱζᾰρέθ (Nāzăréth) from Hebrew נָצְרַת (nāṣraṯ), of uncertain origin.

A barangay of General Tinio, Nueva Ecija, Philippines.

Sergio Osmeña Sr.
Sergio Osmeña Sr.#English

Zamboanga del Norte
Zamboanga del Norte#English

A barangay of Sergio Osmeña Sr., Zamboanga del Norte, Philippines.

Zamboanga Sibugay
Zamboanga Sibugay#English

A barangay of Kabasalan, Zamboanga Sibugay, Philippines.

Misamis Oriental
Misamis Oriental#English

A barangay of Cagayan de Oro, Misamis Oriental, Philippines.


Minorca

From Late Latin Minorca, Minorica, from Latin Balearis Minor. Compare Majorca.

Balearic Islands
Balearic Islands#English

An island of the Balearic Islands, Spain, east of Mallorca.


Tiber

They traversed the Tiber without remarking it; they arrived at Rome by the gate of the people, which conducts immediately to the Corso, to the largest street of the modern city; […]

1807, [Germaine] de Staël Holstein, translated by D[ennis] Lawler, “[Book I. Oswald.] Chap[ter] V.”, in Corinna; or, Italy. […], volume I, London: […] Corri, […]; and sold by Colburn, […], and Mackenzie, […], →OCLC, page 51:

The river that flows through Rome in Italy.


Pomerania

/ˌpɒməˈɹeɪniə/

Borrowed from Latin Pomerania, from German Pommern, from Proto-Slavic *pomorьjane pl (“coast dwellers”), from Proto-Slavic *pomorьje (“seaboard”).

Since the reign of Charlemagne, this country is divided into High and Low Germany... the provinces of Lower Germany towards the north conſiſt of the Low Country of the Rhine, Triers, Cologn, Mentz, Weſtphalia, Heſſe, Brunſwic, Miſnia, Luſatia, High Saxony upon the Elbe, Low Saxony upon the Elbe, Mecklenburg, Lauenburg, Brandenburg, Magdeburg, and Pomerania.

1759, George Sale et al., “The Modern Part of an Universal History”, in History of the German Empire, volume XXIX, page 2:

A former duchy, historical province of Prussia, and now a geographic region of Central Europe split between Germany and Poland on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea.

Պոմերանիա

region of Europe on the southern shores of the Baltic Sea


wonderland

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-wonderland.wav

Where other trav'lers, fraught with terror, roam, Lo! Bruce in Wonder-land is quite at home.

1790 J. Wolcot Compl. Epist. to Bruce 332, in Wks. (1812) II. 368

It's a geological wonderland, with great exposures of colorful and varied sedimentary rocks.

2012, Chinle Miller, In Mesozoic Lands: The Mesozoic Geology of Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, Kindle edition:

بلاد العجائب

Imaginary or real place full of wonder or marvels


Leghorn

Among the light breeds there are probably more good strains of White Leghorn than any other variety. The Brown Leghorn is not quite so popular but is capable of high yields …. The Black Leghorn is another breed which has enjoyed popularity.

1962, C. Arthur Pearson, Pictorial Poultry-Keeping, 2nd edition, Cox & Wyman Ltd, page 42:

Alternative letter-case form of leghorn.


Livonia

From Latin Livonia, from Estonian liiv (“sand”).

Pointe Coupee Parish
Pointe Coupee Parish#English

A number of places in the United States:

A town in Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana.

Sherburne County
Sherburne County#English

A township in Sherburne County, Minnesota.

An unincorporated community in Miles Township, Centre County, Pennsylvania.


Picardy

administrative region
administrative region

A former administrative region and historical province of France; since 2016, part of the administrative region of Hauts-de-France region.


Bethlehem

→ Maori: Peterehema

Inherited from Middle English Bethleem, from Old French Bethleem and Old English Bethleem, from Latin Bēthlehēmum, from Ancient Greek Βηθλεέμ (Bēthleém), from Hebrew בֵּית לֶחֶם (bēṯ lɛ́ḥɛm, literally “house of bread”). Doublet of bedlam and Belém.

A number of other places around the world:

A town in Litchfield County, Connecticut.

Litchfield County
Litchfield County#English

An unincorporated community in Winn Parish, Louisiana.

unincorporated community
unincorporated community


Anasazi

/ˌɑːnəˈsɑːziː/

From Navajo anaasází (“enemy ancestors, ancient enemy”), from anaaʼí (“enemy”) + bizází (“their ancestors”).

Ancestral Puebloan
Ancestral Puebloan#English

Anasazi

member of a Native American people who once lived in Utah and Colorado


Ganges

Borrowed from Latin Gangēs, from Ancient Greek Γάγγης (Gángēs), from Sanskrit गङ्गा (gáṅgā, literally “swift-goer”), from the verbal root गम् (gam, “to go”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷem- (“to come”) (whence Latin veniō, Ancient Greek βαίνω (baínō), and English come). Doublet of Ganga.

...the Yellow Riuer... is the other famous Riuer of that Kingdome, in greatneſſe and note, which ariſesth without the Kingdome to the Weſt, out of the Hill Cunlun, conjectured to bee the ſame whence Ganges ariſeth, or one neere to it.

1625, Samuel Purchas, Pvrchas His Pilgrimes, volume III, London, →OCLC, page 340:

...their master... was no ad for anybody but the most arcane Black Power, he was an old prince of a witch doctor—insult him at your peril—but the other ten musicians with their trumpets and snares and assorted brass would prove no pull for Nixon on TV with any Black votes watching, for they were old and meek, naught but elderly Black Southern musicians, a veritable Ganges of Uncle Toms. They had disappeared with Tom Swift and Little Lord Fauntleroy.

1968, Norman Mailer, “Nixon in Miami”, in Harper's, §6:

A river in India and Bangladesh, sacred within Hinduism.

គង្គ

kɔɔkŭəngkĕəʼ


Nuremberg

/ˈnjʊəɹəmbəɡ/

From German Nürnberg, from Medieval Latin Norinberga. The second element is from Berg, origins of the first element unclear.

The trial of Nazi criminals that took place there, after World War II.


Vesuvius

From Latin Vesuvius, of uncertain origin.

Hecla bellowed until the Icelanders feared a cataclysm. Vesuvius blew its head off.

1928 February 25 – March 3, Arthur Conan Doyle, “When the World Screamed”, in The Professor Challenger Stories […], London: John Murray, […], published [1952], →OCLC, page 577:

A volcanic mountain located on the Gulf of Naples in Italy.


Galilee

Inherited from Middle English Galilee, from Old French Galilee, from Medieval Latin Galilea, from Ancient Greek Γᾰλῑλαίᾱ (Gălīlaíā), from Hebrew גָּלִיל (galíl).


Gothenburg

/ˈɡɒθn̩bɜːɡ/

Ultimately from Swedish Göteborg, probably via German Gothenburg (now archaic).

A city in Dawson County, Nebraska, United States, originally settled by Swedish people.


Crimea

Through Italian Crimea, from Crimean Tatar Qırım.

According to Zimin, this individual was in the service of Prince Fedor Vasili'evich Riazanskii as early as 1498, two years after his service on the embassy to the Crimea.

1987, Robert M. Croskey, Muscovite Diplomatic Practice in the Reign of Ivan III, page 96:

On its return journey in 1633 the Tatar embassy was arrested by the Muscovite government, which was already at war with the Crimea, and only after several months was it released as a result of an appeal by Sweden[.]

1995, Muscovy and Sweden in the Thirty Years' War 1630-1635, →ISBN, page 73:

As late as 1665, the Crimea's demand for continued and increased tribue from Moscow was one of the conditions leading to a peace treaty between a khan and tsar („kaznu v Krym prodolzhat' prisylat' s pribyl'iu“). Notwithstanding Moscow's rhetorical exercises, the Russian government was acutely aware that as long as Russia's military force remained ineffective against the Crimea, peace with Crimea could only be purchased.

2004, Andreas Kappeler, Die Geschichte Russlands im 16. und 17. Jahrhundert, →ISBN, page 371:

Crimean Peninsula
Crimean Peninsula#English

(historical) Synonym of Crimean Khanate: A historical country in Crimean Peninsula, Europe. The Crimean Khanate, which for much of its history controlled most of the Crimean peninsula and various adjacent areas of the mainland.

Crimean Khanate

Crimean Republic
Crimean Republic#English

(historical) Ellipsis of Crimean Republic.

Crimean People's Republic
Crimean People's Republic#English

(historical) Ellipsis of Crimean People's Republic.


Jericho

/ˈd͡ʒɛɹɪkəʊ/

/ˈd͡ʒɛɹɪˌkoʊ/

From Middle English Iericho, from Old English Iericho, from Latin Ierīchō, from Ancient Greek Ἰερῑχώ (Ierīkhṓ), from Biblical Hebrew יְרִיחוֹ (yərīḥō), recorded early as Ugaritic 𐎊𐎗𐎃 (yrḫ). Regarding the "place of concealment" sense, see 2 Samuel 10:5.

A historic suburb of the English city of Oxford.


Navarre

From French Navarre, from Spanish Navarra.

Santa Rosa County
Santa Rosa County#English

A census-designated place and large unincorporated community in Santa Rosa County, Florida, United States.


Castile

From (possibly through a Middle French form) Spanish Castilla from Old Spanish Castiella from Medieval Latin Castella from the plural of Latin castellum (“castle, fort, citadel”), diminutive of castrum (“fortress”); supposedly derived from the many castles constructed in the region.

Castille (alternative)
Castill (alternative obsolete)

A town and village therein, in Wyoming County, New York, United States, named after Castile in Spain.


Moldavia

Western Moldavia
Western Moldavia#English

Moldavia, Western Moldavia (a region in eastern Romania adjacent to the country of Moldova, once part of the principality of Moldova).


Dalmatia

From Latin Dalmatia, possibly from an Illyrian tribe called the Dalmatae who lived in the region.

(historical) A province of the Roman Empire.


Istria

From Latin Histria, from Ancient Greek Ἱστρία (Histría), named after Ἵστρων (Hístrōn) (ἔθνος (éthnos)), the ethnicon of the Illyrian/Venetic tribe of the Histri who inhabited the region.
The name could itself be related to Hister, a Roman name for the Danube, from Ancient Greek Ἰστρίη (Istríē), the Dacian-Thracian name for the river god Danubius, a name meaning "swift," and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰenh₂- (“to flow”). Also see Histria.

A peninsula in Croatia, Slovenia and Italy, on the northeastern coast of the Adriatic Sea: The Istrian Peninsula.

A county in western Croatia. County seat: Pazin.


Westphalia

Learned borrowing from Medieval Latin Westphalia, from Middle Low German Westvâlen, ultimately from the root of German Westfalen, which see. Related to Low German Westfaolen.

lbor

Westfalen, a region of Germany in the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony.


Brunswick

From the Germanic personal name Bruno, in the genitive case, something akin to *Brunos + Middle Low German wîk (“village, settlement”).

der

Brownswick (alternative)
Brunswic (alternative)

A number of places in the United States:

An unincorporated community in Holton Township, Muskegon County, Michigan.

Rensselaer County
Rensselaer County#English

A town in Columbus County, North Carolina.

Eau Claire County
Eau Claire County#English


Jutland

A cultural region and peninsula in northwestern Europe, consisting of the mainland part of Denmark and Schleswig-Holstein, which is part of Germany.


Funen

From Danish Fyn, likely through German Fünen. Related with Danish fyge (“to blow around”), hence "windswept place".

Sealand

Danish: Sjælland; the largest island of Denmark

Jutland north of the Limfjord

Danish: Jylland nord for Limfjorden; the second largest island of Denmark


Galway

Anglicization of Irish Gaillimh, of uncertain meaning, said to mean "stony' (referring to the River Corrib). If so, it probably derives from Old Irish calad (“hard”); compare caillou, of Gaulish origin.

In England there are Brighton Beach boats, Centre-board sloops, Pollywogs, Lough Erne yachts, Unas, New Brighton sailing-boats, yachts of the Norfolk Broads, Itchen, Clyde sailing and Keystone boats, Penzance luggers, Cobbles, Galways, Hookers and Pookhauns […]

1884, James Douglas Jerrold Kelley, American Yachts: Their Clubs and Races, page 161:


Connemara

/ˌkɑnəˈmɑɹə/

/ˌkɒnɪˈmɑːɹə/

Borrowed from Irish Conamara, from Conmhaícne Mara (literally “the Conmhaícne of the sea”), a branch of an ancient native tribe named Conmhaícne (literally “descendants of Con Mhac”).

A pony of a particular breed native to this Irish district.


Scania

From Medieval Latin Scania (attested since 950), from Old Norse Skáney, from Proto-Germanic *Skadinawjō. Doublet of Scandinavia.

Scandinavian Peninsula
Scandinavian Peninsula

A former province, historical region, and peninsula in Sweden, roughly coterminous with Skåne County and occupying the southern tip of the Scandinavian Peninsula.

سكونا

historical region currently part of Sweden occupying the southernmost tip of the Scandinavian peninsula


Elsinore

From Danish Helsingør, perhaps a derivation of hals (“narrow strait”, literally “throat; neck”), from Old Norse hals, from Proto-Germanic *halsaz, from Proto-Indo-European *kólsos. Compare also Helsinki and Helsingborg.

Former name of Lake Elsinore, California (the settlement was renamed in 1972).


Tagus

A major river in Spain and Portugal, the longest in Iberia.


Moravia

From Mediaeval Latin Moravia, which is named after River Morava, (German March, Latin Marus), the main river of the land. The water's name is in all likelihood derived ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *móri.

A historic region in the eastern Czech Republic.


Chechnya

[ˈt͡ʃɛtʃ.ɲi.ə]

From Russian Чечня́ (Čečnjá, “[place] of the Chechens”), derived from Kabardian.

Chechenia (alternative)
Chechneya (alternative)
Chechnia (alternative)
Chechniya (alternative)

Chechen Republic
Chechen Republic#English

A republic and federal subject of Russia, in the northern Caucasus. Official name: Chechen Republic. Capital: Grozny.

Ичке́рия

temporary name used by Chechen nationalists


Bosphorus

the Bosphorus (canonical)
Bosporus (alternative)

From medieval Latin Bosphorus, from Ancient Greek Βόσπορος (Bósporos).

The 20-min. crossing of the Bosphorus by ferry steamer from the Golden Horn, the busy river-fed harbour that divides old and new Istanbul on the European side of the Bosphorus, was a pleasure in itself.

1950 July, J. C. Mertens, “By the "Taurus Express" to Baghdad”, in Railway Magazine, page 435:

The narrow strait beside Istanbul, Turkey connecting the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara, the northern end of the Turkish Straits connecting the Black Sea with the Aegean and Mediterranean.


Suez

From Arabic اَلسُّوَيْس (as-suways), from ال (al-, “the, place of the”) + سويس, of uncertain origin but sometimes connected to South Levantine Arabic forms of سُوس (sūs, “licorice”). A folk etymology sometimes relates it to a supposed Egyptian suan (“beginning”), but this appears to be a ghost word or misinterpretation as no such word exists.

(with the definite article) Ellipsis of Suez Canal: the canal connecting the Mediterranean and Red Seas.


Pilsen

A neighbourhood in Chicago, Illinois, United States.


Peloponnesus

From Latin Peloponnesus, from Ancient Greek Πελοπόννησος (Pelopónnēsos), q.v.

Πελοπόννησος

Synonym of Peloponnese, a peninsula in Greece.


Adygea

/ɑːdɪˈɡeɪ.ə/

Transliteration of Russian Адыге́я (Adygéja).

translit

Adigea (alternative)
Adygeya (alternative)
Adyghea (alternative)

Republic of Adygea
Republic of Adygea#English

A republic and federal subject of south-west Russia. Official name: Republic of Adygea. Capital: Maykop.


Bashkortostan

/bæʃˈkɔːtəʊˌstæn

/bɑːʃˈkɔːɹtoʊˌstæn

[bɑʃˈkɔɹtoə̯ˌstɛə̯n

Transliteration of Russian Башкортоста́н (Baškortostán), from Bashkir Башҡортостан (Başqortostan).

Башкортоста́н

der

Башҡортостан

Republic of Bashkortostan
Republic of Bashkortostan#English

A republic and federal subject of Russia. Official name: Republic of Bashkortostan. Capital: Ufa.


Khakassia

Transliteration of Russian Хака́сия (Xakásija).

translit

Khakasia (alternative)
Khakasiya (alternative)
Khakassiya (alternative)

Republic of Khakassia
Republic of Khakassia#English

A republic and federal subject of central south Russia. Official name: Republic of Khakassia. Capital: Abakan.


Grozny

Transliteration of Russian Гро́зный (Gróznyj), from гро́зный (gróznyj, “menacing, formidable, severe, cruel”).

The regional capital and largest city in Chechnya, Russia.


Maykop

Transliteration of Russian Майко́п (Majkóp).

The capital and largest city of Adygea, Russia.


Tiflis

From Russian Тифли́с (Tiflís) and Ottoman Turkish تفليس (Tiflis), from Persian تفلیس (Teflis).

(chiefly historical) Former name of Tbilisi: the capital city of the country of Georgia.


Thessalonica

/ˌθɛsələˈnaɪkə/

Borrowed from Latin Thessalonīca, from Ancient Greek Θεσσᾰλονῑ́κη (Thessălonī́kē), named for Thessalonike daughter of Philip II, half-sister of Alexander the Great, and wife of Cassander of Macedonia, from Θεσσᾰλός (Thessălós, “Thessalian”) + νῑ́κη (nī́kē, “victory”), possibly named for her birth on the anniversary of the Battle of Crocus Field in Thessaly.

der

Θεσσᾰλονῑ́κη

Central Macedonia
Central Macedonia#English

(now especially historical) Alternative form of Thessaloniki: a port city, the capital of Central Macedonia, in northern Greece.

Thessaloniki

Alexander the Great
Battle of Crocus Field
Cassander
Philip II of Macedonia
Thessalonica
Thessalonike of Macedon


Aleppo

From Italian Aleppo, from French Alep, from Ottoman Turkish حلب (Haleb, vulg. Halep), from Arabic حَلَب (ḥalab), of uncertain origin. Theorized to be from Arabic حَلَبَ (ḥalaba, “gave out milk”), coming from the ancient tradition that Abraham gave milk to travelers as they moved throughout the region. Attested in Akkadian as 𒌷𒄩𒆷𒀊𒆠 (ᵁᴿᵁḫa-la-abᴷᴵ, “Ḫalab/Ḫalap”), Hittite 𒄬𒉺 (Ḥalpa), Ugaritic 𐎈𐎍𐎁 (ḥlb), Aramaic חלב (Ḥlb), Old Armenian Խաղաբ (Xałab), Ancient Greek Χαλιβών (Khalibṓn), and Classical Syriac ܚܰܠܰܒ (Ḥalpa).

The capital city of Aleppo Governorate, Syria.


Samogitia

/ˌsæ.məˈɡi.ʃə/

From Latin Samogetia, Samogitia (“Žemaitija”), from German Sameiten, Sameythen (“Žemaitija”), from Lithuanian Žemaitija (“lowland”). "g" was introduced to Latin and later German translations due to the usage of the letter "g" to denote "j" in Medieval writing.
Sometimes connected with the (etymologically unrelated) name Getae, Ancient Greek Γέτης (Gétēs, “ancient Dacian tribe”).

cog

An ethnographic region of Lithuania, located in the north-west of the country.


Mari El

Transliteration of Russian Марий Эл (Marij El).

translit

Mari El Republic
Mari El Republic#English

A republic of Russia. Official name: Mari El Republic. Capital: Yoshkar-Ola.


Marrakech

/ˌmæɹ.əˈkɛʃ/

From French Marrakech, from Arabic مَرَّاكُش (marrākuš), from Berber ⴰⵎⵓⵔ ⵏ ⴰⴽⵓⵛ (amur n akuc, literally “Land of God”). Doublet of Morocco.

The capital city of the Marrakesh-Safi region, Morocco.


Matabeleland

From Matabele + land, named after its inhabitants.


Dardanelles

[ˌdɑː.dənˈɛɫz]

[ˌdɑɹ.dənˈɛɫz]

Named after Ottoman forts spanning the strait, the Dardanelles, themselves likely named after Dardanus, an ancient city on the Asian shore of the strait, itself said to take its name from Dardanus, the son of Zeus and Electra.

The strait connecting the Sea of Marmara with the Aegean Sea to the west.


Patras

The third most populated Greek city (after Athens and Thessaloniki), the most populated city in the Peloponnese and the capital of Western Greece (administrative region of Greece).


Rostov-on-Don

Calque of Russian Росто́в-на-Дону́ (Rostóv-na-Donú).

cal

Росто́в-на-Дону́

A large city, the administrative center of Rostov Oblast, in southern Russia.


Strait of Bonifacio

A strait between Corsica and Sardinia, connecting the Tyrrhenian Sea and and the western Mediterranean Sea.


Courland

Frenchified spelling of German Kurland, equivalent to Cour- + land, with the initial component related to Curonian, Latin Curonia and Latvian Kurzeme.


Orontes

Battle of Qarqar
Kadesh_(Syria)
Orontes
Orontes River
Ramesses II
Ugarit

/ɔːˈɹɒntiːz/

From Latin Orontēs, from Ancient Greek Ὀρόντης (Oróntēs), from Akkadian 𒀀𒊏𒀭𒌓 (Arāntu, “Orontes; site of the Battle of Qarqar”) and also in Egyptian jrnt (“Orontes; river flowing by Qadesh”) attested at least from the period of Ramesses II:
* The meaning of which is contested with connections to: Akkadian 𒀀𒊏𒀭𒌓 (arantu, “a type of grass; fennel”), perhaps in connection to the region around the city of Ugarit, the ruins today being known as رَأْس شَمْرَة (raʔs šamra, “Headland or Cape Fennel”).
* Also connected to Akkadian 𒀀𒊏𒀭𒁺 (araddu, arantu, “wild ass; stubborn”), possibly related to the modern name for the river الْعَاصِي (al-ʕāṣī, “rebel, stubbornly in error, refusing to be corrected”) so-called for its flowing south to the north unlike the rest of the rivers in the region.
* Disputably from Old Median *Arvand; compare Avestan 𐬀𐬎𐬭𐬎𐬎𐬀𐬧𐬝- (aᵘruuaṇt̰-, “swift”).
Doublet of Alvand and Arvand. More at Orontes.

noncog

w:The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
w:Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

A river in Western Asia, about 400 km (250 mi) long, flowing from Lebanon through Syria before entering the Mediterranean Sea near Samandağ in Turkey.


River Plate

the River Plate (canonical)
River Platte (alternative dated)

Calque of Spanish Río de la Plata, using the obsolete English term plate (“silver”).

“We, ladies and gentlemen, are taking our countries back. Together our nations – America and Argentina – will inspire the world,” Lara Trump, the Republican National Committee’s co-chair, told delegates who had flooded the basement of a five-star hotel by the River Plate.

2024 December 10, Tom Phillips, Facundo Iglesia, “Maga on the River Plate as global populist right descends on Argentina”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:


Alghero

Borrowed from Italian Alghero, of unclear origin. Usually thought to derive from Medieval Latin Aleguerium (literally “stagnation of seaweed”) or Sardinian S'Alighèra, from aliga (“seaweed; rubbish”) + -era, but either way from Latin alga (“seaweed”), from Proto-Indo-European *alg-, *alǵ- (“to be dirty, slimy”).

der

A city and port town in the province of Sassari, Sardinia, Italy.


Samothrace

From Latin Samothrācē, from Ancient Greek Σαμοθρᾴκη (Samothrā́ikē, “Samian Thrace”), from Σᾰ́μος (Sắmos, “Samos”) + Θρᾴκη (Thrā́ikē, “Thrace”), from the island's early Greek colonizers and the general ancient territory in which it lay.


Serkland

Borrowing from Old Norse. The second element is clearly land (“land”). The first may be related to Saracen (compare Ancient Greek Σαρακηνός (Sarakēnós), showing the /k/) or may be serkr (“sark, gown”) in reference to the clothing worn by the people of the region.

He died in Serkland.

(historical, in translations of Norse sagas and runestones) The Abbasid caliphate.


Dobruja

Probably ultimately from the Turkish rendition of the 14th century Bulgarian ruler Dobrotitsa. Other theories link it (at least the first element) ultimately to the Slavic word dobro (“good”), or from a Slavic derivation of a Turkic word.

A geographic region in southeastern Europe, politically divided between Bulgaria and Romania, located between the lower Danube river and the Black Sea.


Giza

From Egyptian Arabic اَلْجِيزَة (il-Gīza). The etymology is uncertain. Al-Maqrizi derives it from Classical Syriac ܓܹܣܵܐ (gissa, “side”). Peust suggests a Persian etymology from Persian دز (dez, “castle”). Everett-Heath suggests an Egyptian etymology from Egyptian r-gs-ḥr (“on the side of the high one (pyramid)”).

cognate

Gizah (alternative archaic)
Gize (alternative archaic)
Gizé (alternative archaic)
Gizeh (alternative archaic)

Great Sphinx of Giza
Great Sphinx of Giza

Great Pyramid of Giza
Great Pyramid of Giza

A city on the west bank of the Nile river, Egypt, famous for its ancient monuments including the Great Sphinx of Giza and the Great Pyramid of Giza.


Hungarland

From Middle English *Hungerland, from Old English Hungerland, Ungerland (“Hungary”), equivalent to Hungar + land. Compare German Hungarland, Ungarland (“Hungary”), Icelandic Ungverjaland (“Hungary”).

Hungerland (alternative)
Ungerland (alternative)

The gouernment of Hungarland was anciently spirituall & seculer, the spiritualty was gouerned by the Arch-Byshop of Strigonium (who were Chancellors os the Land) and of Colozza.

1611, Giovanni Botero, Relations of the Most Famous Kingdoms and Commonwealths:

Considering that the surrounding text mentions imported fashions from other parts of Europe (France, Italy), it is possible that "Hungerland" should mean Hungary and the reference would be to a special kind of ribbon produced there.

2009, Monica Matei-Chesnoiu, Early Modern Drama and the Eastern European Elsewhere:

“A pact between Poland, Romania, and the Hungarians.” “But what about us?” The tongs snapped closed. “We're lost already. ... you're needed to go to the Hungerland factory. On a flax-buying mission.” “Received word from who? Max?”


Latakia

/ˌlætəˈkiːə/

A strong dark tobacco originally produced in Syria.


Tangut

Bilgä Qaǧan
Ming dynasty
Richard Hakluyt
Secret History of the Mongols
Tangut language
Tangut people
Tangut script
William of Rubruck

From a Middle Mongol exonym used by the Mongols, which would become the Classical Mongolian ᠲᠠᠩᠭᠤᠳ (tangɣud) that was phonetically transcribed in Ming-era Early Mandarin Chinese as 唐兀_惕 (/*tʰaŋ(ŋ)ut/) in the Chinese edition of the Secret History of the Mongols (《元朝秘史》). The designation ultimately derives from Old Turkic 𐱃𐰭𐰆𐱃 (t¹ŋut¹) as attested in the 8th-century Bilgä Qaǧan stele. The English word, and similar forms in European languages, derives from Medieval Latin Tangut (*Tangunt in the Leiden manuscript) from the accounts of William of Rubruck compiled in the 1250s. The English form was attested in the writings of Richard Hakluyt who translated parts of William's accounts in the late 16th century.

A Qiangic people of mediaeval northern China.


Tangut

The logographic script uniquely used to write their language.

西夏文

the script used to write the Tangut language


Tangut

en-adj

Tangut (not generally comparable, comparative more Tangut, superlative most Tangut)

more Tangut (comparative)
most Tangut (superlative)

Of or pertaining to the Tangut people, language or script.


Heligoland

Second element is land, first element of disputed origin:
* From German heilig (“holy”), as in Middle High German Heiligland (“holy land”)
* From the North Frisian for high, similar to Hallig; hinted by the Heligolanders' self-designation of Halunder.
* Related to the legendary hero Helgi, identical to the Old Norse name Helgi.
More at Heligoland.

der

A small island of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, in the North Sea.


Styria

From Medieval Latin Styria, variant of Stiria, from Stira (“the Austrian city of Steyr”) + -ia (forming place names). Although no longer part of Styria, Steyr was the site of the court of the margraves of the March of Styria. It was itself named for its position at the confluence of the rivers Enns and Steyr.

A southeastern state of Austria, with its capital in Graz.

(historical) The Duchy of Styria, a duchy within the Holy Roman Empire, located in modern-day southern Austria and northern Slovenia.

(historical) A former Austrian marchland.


Gallipoli

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-Gallipoli.wav

Sense 1 (“peninsula in Turkey”) is borrowed from Italian Gallipoli, from Turkish Gelibolu, and from its etymon Byzantine Greek Καλλίπολῐς (Kallípolĭs, “Kallipolis, former name of Gelibolu”) and late variant forms, from Ancient Greek κᾰ́λλος (kắllos, “beauty; beautiful person or thing; nobility”) (probably ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kal- (“beautiful”)) + πόλις (pólis, “city; city-state”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *tpelH- (“city; fortification”)). Doublet of Callipolis, Gelibolu, and Kallipolis.
Sense 2 (“town in Italy”) is borrowed from Italian Gallipoli, from Latin Callipolis, from Byzantine Greek Καλλίπολῐς (Kallípolĭs): see above.

doublet

And anyway, it strikes me that the blasted English use Anzacs as fodder for the enemy guns, putting them into places where they don't want to waste their own precious tropps. Look at the way that saber-rattling [Winston] Churchill sent our men into something as useless as Gallipoli! Ten thousand killed out of fifty thousand! Twice as bad as decimation.

1977, Colleen McCullough, “1921–1928”, in The Thorn Birds, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Row, →ISBN, page 40:

A peninsula in Turkey, north of the Dardanelles, between the Aegean and Marmara seas.

(by ellipsis, historical) The Gallipoli Campaign (1915–1916) in World War I.


Corunna

From Spanish La Coruña, of uncertain origin.

Shiawassee County
Shiawassee County#English

A city, the county seat of Shiawassee County, Michigan, United States.


The Groyne

From Spanish La Coruña, of uncertain origin, possibly through an Old French form.


Czechland

A lake located 1 mile (1.6 km) north of Prague, Saunders County, Nebraska, USA.


Getae

From Latin Getae, from Ancient Greek Γέται (Gétai).

(historical) A Dacian tribe inhabiting the regions of the lower Danube.


Carlsbad

Borrowed from German Carlsbad, the historical name of Karlovy Vary.

Carlsbad police filed the application for a gun violence emergency protective order against Alexander Charles Paffendorf in San Diego County Superior Court on Tuesday.

2024 December 19, Jack Date, Like Barr, Alex Stone, “Protective order issued for man accused of plotting attack with Madison school shooter”, in ABC News:

San Diego County
San Diego County#English

A city and beach resort in San Diego County, California, United States.

A city, the county seat of Eddy County, New Mexico, United States.

census-designated place
census-designated place

unincorporated community
unincorporated community

Tom Green County
Tom Green County#English

A census-designated place and unincorporated community in Tom Green County, Texas, United States.

Karlovy Vary, a statutory city and spa city in western Bohemia, Czech Republic.


Fireland

From fire + -land, calque of Spanish Tierra del Fuego (literally “Land of Fire”).

calque

Tierra del Fuego
Tierra del Fuego#English


Hereroland

(historical) A bantustan in South West Africa (present-day Namibia), intended by the apartheid government to be a self-governing homeland for the Herero people.


Ovamboland

(historical) The land occupied by the Ovambo people in what is now northern Namibia and southern Angola.


Kavangoland

(historical) A bantustan in South West Africa (present-day Namibia), intended by the apartheid government to be a self-governing homeland for the Kavango people.


Tswanaland

(historical) A bantustan in South West Africa (present-day Namibia), intended by the apartheid government to be a self-governing homeland for the Tswana people.


Kaokoland

(historical) A bantustan in South West Africa, in the Kaokoveld ecoregion, intended by the apartheid government to be a self-governing homeland for the OvaHimba people.


Namaland

(historical) A bantustan in South West Africa (present-day Namibia), intended by the apartheid government to be a self-governing homeland for the Nama people.


Bushmanland

(historical) A bantustan in South West Africa (present-day Namibia), intended by the apartheid government to be a self-governing homeland for the San people (the Bushmen).


Flushing

A township and village therein, in Belmont County, Ohio, United States.


Sugarloaf Mountain

Calque of Portuguese Pão de Açúcar (“sugar-loaf”), named after its shape.

A rocky peak in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; height: 396 m.

بَائُو دِي أَكُوكَار

bāʔū dī ʔakūkār


Ushant

An island located in the department of Finistère, Brittany, France, at the southwestern end of the English Channel, marking the northwesternmost point of metropolitan France.


Meleda

From Italian Meleda and Venetan Meleda, from Latin Melita, from Ancient Greek Μελίτη (Melítē), q.v. Doublet of Malta and Mljet.

(obsolete or historical) Synonym of Mljet, an island in the Adriatic Sea, Croatia.


backararar

en-adj

backararar (comparative more backararar, superlative most backararar)

more backararar (comparative)
most backararar (superlative)

[…]their appearance even excited the slaves in Barbadoes, who used to say when they saw them together, "That ittle backararar man go all over world, see for that backararar woman for himself."

1815, [[w:Roberts Vaux|Roberts Vaux]], Memoirs of the Lives of Benjamin Lay and Ralph Sandiford, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States: Solomon W. Conrad, page 21:


ferenghi

en-noun

ferenghi (plural ferenghis or ferenghies)

ferenghis (plural)
ferenghies (plural)
Ferenghi (alternative)

In The Journeyer (2010, page 344), Gary Jennings speculates that this word is derived from Frank—Mongols heard westerners call themselves Franks during the Mongol invasion of Europe, and since then the Mongols called any white westerner a Ferenghi regardless of nationality. "Ferenghi" has also been used in the same manner by Turks, Persians, Afghans, Indians and Arabs. See Arabic إِفْرَنْجِيّ (ʔifranjiyy) and Persian فرنگی (farangi).

cog

إِفْرَنْجِيّ

The appearance of Ferenghi ladies in the Holy City will be an innovation that will fairly eclipse the introduction of the bicycle.

1887, Thomas Stevens, chapter XII, in Around the World on a Bicycle, Vol. II: From Teheran to Yokohama, London: Sampson Low […] , page 241:

The tenacity, perseverance, and indefatigability of Britons have always deeply impressed the Asiatic; and i have had the opportunity of witnessing more than one Turks, Persian, or Afghan, who, in spite of being impregnated with the ideas of the Mohammedan Nirvana, began by expressing his amazement at the unremitting activity of the British Ferenghis, and concluded with the remark: "Verily these Ferenghis are a most remarkable people!"

1891, Scottish Geographical Magazine, page 294:

He has despatched us with the army in company with our brother Said Al-Khilafa Saiyfid Mohamed Al-Mutawakkil to the Eastern tract for the purpose of safeguarding it from the guile of the frustrated Ferenghis and for making a severance of the relations existing between them and the Sunni Arab Chiefs.

1916, Ahmed Nasir Ar-Rounel, Letter to Sheikh Mohsin bin Farod, Al-Aulaki:

Suleiman's people, many of whom could barely stomach the sight of the ferenghis, with their sunburnt faces and arrogant bearing, their heavy chain hauberks and their long swords.

2006, Jack Whyte, Knights of the Black and White:

Charkosh held it up for all to see. "Among ferenghis," he said, "it is called 'Greek Fire.'"

2007, Lloyd Alexander, The Golden Dream of Carlo Chuchio, page 277:


Drohobych

Borrowed from Ukrainian Дрого́бич (Drohóbyč).

bor+

A city, the administrative center of Drohobych Raion, Lviv Oblast, Ukraine.


Trostianets

Borrowed from Ukrainian Тростяне́ць (Trostjanécʹ).


Tlemcen

Borrowed from Arabic تِلِمْسَان (tilimsān).