Hispania
/hɪˈspæn.i.ə/noun
The ancient Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula, especially the territories of present-day Spain and Portugal.
Did you know?The Roman name Hispania likely came from an earlier Phoenician or Semitic term, possibly meaning something like a place of hidden or abundant rabbits—an ancient label that became the foundation for the modern name Spain.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Phoenician/Semitic (hypothesized)
Phoenician
ʾī-špānīm
“Possibly a name referring to a land associated with rabbits or hyraxes, though the exact sense is disputed.”
3rd-2nd Century BCE
Latin
Hispania
“The Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula and its provinces.”
Late Antiquity
Latin
Hispaniae
“The plural form used for the peninsula’s Roman provinces.”
Early Medieval Latin
Latin
Spania
“A shortened form of the name used in post-Roman usage.”
Medieval Romance
Old Spanish
España
“The developing vernacular name for the country.”
Modern English
English
Spain
“The modern English name for the nation, borrowed through Old French and Medieval Latin.”