Bight of Benin
/ˌbaɪt əv bəˈnɪn/noun
A broad, curved section of the Gulf of Guinea along the coast of West Africa, extending roughly from Ghana to Nigeria.
Did you know?The name refers to the historic Kingdom of Benin, whose capital was inland at present-day Benin City—not on the coast of the modern country of Benin.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
Germanic
*buhtiz
“A bend or curved part; the reconstructed ancestor of Old English byht.”
Old English
Old English
byht
“A bend, angle, corner, or curved part.”
Middle English
Middle English
bight
“A bend or curve, especially in a coastline or a loop of rope.”
15th–16th Century
Portuguese
Benim / Benin
“A European rendering of the name associated with the West African Kingdom of Benin, also called Bini; the deeper origin of the name is uncertain.”
16th–17th Century
English
Bight of Benin
“A coastal bight named by European mapmakers in reference to the Kingdom of Benin.”
Modern English
English
Bight of Benin
“The recognized geographical name for this coastal arc of the Gulf of Guinea.”