Curaçao
English edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
Borrowed from Portuguese Curação, literally meaning “curing” but likely a Portuguese pronunciation of a native Lokono self-designation.
Pronunciation edit
Proper noun edit
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 edit
Translations edit
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Further reading edit
Anagrams edit
Dutch edit
Etymology edit
Borrowed from Spanish Curaçao. Potentially derived from the self-designation of the island's native inhabitants. An undocumented yet persistent folk etymology holds that the name of the island derives from Portuguese coração (“heart”) (as a reference to the island's importance in trade networks) or curação (“healing, recovery”) (as a reference to the island being used as a sanatorium for ill sailors).
Pronunciation edit
- IPA(key): /kyːraːˈsʌu/, /kuːraːˈsʌu/
- (Limburg) IPA(key): /kyːraːˈzaʊ̯/
Audio (file) - Hyphenation: Cu‧ra‧çao
Proper noun edit
Curaçao n
- An island and constituent country of the Netherlands.
French edit
Etymology edit
Pronunciation edit
Proper noun edit
Curaçao m
- Curaçao (an island and constituent country of the Netherlands).
Derived terms edit
German edit
Etymology edit
From Dutch Curaçao, from Portuguese coração (“heart”) or curação (“healing, recovery”).
Pronunciation edit
Proper noun edit
Curaçao n (proper noun, genitive Curaçaos or (optionally with an article) Curaçao)
- Curaçao (an island and constituent country of the Netherlands)
Noun edit
Curaçao m (strong, genitive Curaçaos or Curaçao, plural Curaçaos or Curaçao)
- curaçao (liqueur)
Papiamentu edit
Etymology edit
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.
Proper noun edit
Curaçao
Polish edit
Etymology edit
Borrowed from Dutch Curaçao, from Portuguese curação.
Pronunciation edit
Proper noun edit
Curaçao n (indeclinable)
- Curaçao (island)
Related terms edit
Further reading edit
- Curaçao in Polish dictionaries at PWN