Canada
/ˈkænədə/noun
A country in North America and, historically, a French colony in the same region.
Did you know?The name comes from the St. Lawrence Iroquoian word reported by Jacques Cartier as kanata, meaning “village” or “settlement,” which was later extended by Europeans to the wider region.
Etymological Timeline
1535
St. Lawrence Iroquoian
kanata
“village; settlement”
1535
French
Canada
“the region around the village/settlement Cartier heard about”
16th Century
French
Canada
“the wider area along the St. Lawrence River”
17th–18th Century
English
Canada
“the French colony in North America”
1867
English
Canada
“the Dominion of Canada, later the modern country”