Baja California
/ˌbɑː.hə ˌkæl.ɪˈfɔːr.ni.ə/noun
A peninsula and Mexican state extending south from California along the Pacific coast.
Did you know?The name California was probably borrowed from a fictional island in Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo’s 1510 chivalric romance, long before Europeans accurately mapped the peninsula.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Latin
Latin
bassus
“Low, short, or of low stature; the source of Spanish bajo.”
Medieval French
Old French
bas
“Low or below; descended from Latin bassus.”
Medieval Spanish
Spanish
bajo
“Low, lower, or situated below; its feminine form is baja.”
1510
Spanish
California
“The name of a fictional island in Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo’s romance Las sergas de Esplandián, possibly inspired by an imagined or obscure place-name.”
16th Century
Spanish
Baja California
“Literally “Lower California,” used to distinguish the peninsula from Alta California, or “Upper California.””
Modern English
English
Baja California
“The name of the Mexican peninsula and, more specifically, the Mexican state occupying its northern portion.”