Calicut
/ˈkæl.ɪ.kʌt/noun
A former English name for the Indian port city now known as Kozhikode, on the Malabar Coast of Kerala.
Did you know?Calicut became famous in European languages because it was a major spice-trade port visited by Portuguese explorers, but its English form is an anglicized rendering of a local South Indian place name rather than a mystical or symbolic term.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient/Medieval South India
Malayalam
Kozhikode
“The local name of the port city on the Malabar Coast; the exact origin is debated, but it refers to the place now known as Kozhikode.”
15th Century
Portuguese
Calecut
“Portuguese rendering of the name of the important spice-trade port.”
16th Century
English
Calicut
“English form of the Portuguese-influenced name for the same Indian port city.”
Modern English
English
Calicut
“Historical English name for Kozhikode, still found in older texts and maps.”