Cameroon
/ˌkæm.əˈruːn/noun
A country in Central Africa on the Gulf of Guinea.
Did you know?The name ultimately comes from Portuguese *Rio dos Camarões* (“River of Prawns”), a 15th-century colonial label for the Wouri estuary that later got expanded to a whole country.
Etymological Timeline
15th Century
Portuguese
Rio dos Camarões
“"River of prawns," the Portuguese name for the river estuary”
16th Century
European maps
Camaroes / Camares
“Map forms and spellings used for the coastal region”
19th Century
German
Kamerun
“The German colonial name for the territory”
20th Century
English
Cameroon
“Modern English name of the country”
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