Espana
/esˈpaɲa/noun
Spain; the country in southwestern Europe.
Did you know?The Roman name Hispania probably came from a pre-Roman term, with one ancient theory linking it to Phoenician *i-shaphan-im* (“land of hyraxes/rabbits”), showing how place-names can survive for millennia like linguistic spells.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Phoenician (theory)
Phoenician
i-shaphan-im
“Possible phrase meaning "land of hyraxes" or, by later interpretation, "land of rabbits"”
Roman Republic
Latin
Hispania
“The Iberian Peninsula, especially the Roman provinces there”
Late Latin
Latin
Hispania
“The name of the region as inherited in post-Roman usage”
Old Spanish
Spanish
Espanna
“The medieval Spanish form of the country name”
Modern Spanish
Spanish
España
“Spain”