Americas
/əˈmɛr.ɪ.kəz/noun
The landmasses of North America and South America, often treated together as a single region.
Did you know?The continents were named after the explorer Amerigo Vespucci, but the form “America” was first popularized by a 1507 map, and “the Americas” is a later pluralization that reflects how Europeans came to view two continents together.
Etymological Timeline
1507
Latin
America
“A cartographic name applied to the newly described lands of the Western Hemisphere”
16th Century
Italian
Amerigo
“The given name of Amerigo Vespucci”
Old High German
OHG
Amalric
“A Germanic personal name meaning roughly 'work-ruler' or 'ruler of the Amals'”
Modern English
English
Americas
“The continents of North America and South America considered together”