Colombia
/kəˈlʌm.bi.ə/noun
A country in northwestern South America.
Did you know?The name Colombia was coined in the early 19th century as a poetic political tribute to Christopher Columbus, and it originally referred to a proposed republic across much of northern South America.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
Columbus
“Christopher Columbus’s surname, later treated as the source for the national name”
Early 19th Century
Spanish
Colombia
“A poetic name for lands associated with Columbus, used in revolutionary and political projects”
1811
Spanish
Colombia
“Used in the name of the Republic of Colombia in early independence-era political thought”
1819
Spanish
Gran Colombia
“The large short-lived republic uniting present-day Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Panama”
Modern English
English
Colombia
“The modern sovereign state in South America”
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