Kypros
/ˈkyː.pros/noun
Kypros is the ancient Greek name for the island now called Cyprus.
Did you know?The Latin form Cyprus helped produce Latin cuprum, the source of English copper, because the island was famous in antiquity for its copper resources.
Etymological Timeline
Late Bronze Age or earlier
Pre-Greek
*Kypros
“An ancient place-name whose ultimate meaning is uncertain; the form may predate Greek.”
Classical Greek
Greek
Κύπρος (Kýpros)
“The island of Cyprus.”
1st Century BCE–1st Century CE
Latin
Cyprus
“Cyprus; the Latin name borrowed from Greek.”
Roman Latin
Latin
aes Cyprium / cuprum
“Cyprian bronze or metal associated with Cyprus; cuprum became the Latin word for copper.”
Middle English
English
Cipres / Cyprus
“The island-name inherited through French and Latin forms.”
Modern English
English
Cyprus
“The island country in the eastern Mediterranean; Kypros remains the Greek form.”