Curaçao
English
Alternative forms
Etymology
Likely a Portuguese pronunciation of a native Arawak self-designation.
Proper noun
Curaçao
- An island in the southern part of the Caribbean Sea off the west coast of Venezuela, a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Derived terms
Translations
Island
Papiamentu
Etymology
From Portuguese curação ("cure" or "medical recovery").
Portuguese sailors who were ill were left at the island now known as Curaçao. When their ship returned, they had recovered, likely cured from scurvy, probably after eating fruit with vitamin C. From then on the Portuguese referred to this as Ilha da Curação (Island of Healing).
Another explanation is that it is derived from the Portuguese word for heart (coração), referring to the island as a centre in trade.
This article is issued from
Wiktionary.
The text is licensed under Creative
Commons - Attribution - Sharealike.
Additional terms may apply for the media files.