Iberian Peninsula
/aɪˈbɪəriən pəˈnɪnsjʊlə/noun
The peninsula in southwestern Europe that includes Spain, Portugal, Andorra, and Gibraltar.
Did you know?The second word, *peninsula*, comes from Latin *paene insula*—literally “almost island,” a perfect ancient map-maker’s description.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
Ibería
“The land of the Iberes, a name used by Greeks for the region near the western edge of the Mediterranean”
Latin
Latin
Hiberia / Iberia
“The Roman name for the Iberian region”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*piH-
“Possible ancient river-name root proposed by some scholars, though the origin of Iberia remains uncertain”
Classical Latin
Latin
paene īnsula
“Almost an island”
Late Latin
Latin
pēnīsula
“Peninsula, a tract of land nearly surrounded by water”
Middle English
English
peninsula
“A piece of land nearly surrounded by water”
Modern English
English
Iberian Peninsula
“The peninsula of southwestern Europe named for Iberia”
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