Madagascar
/ˌmæd.əˈɡæs.kɑːr/noun
An island country off the southeastern coast of Africa.
Did you know?The name Madagascar was popularized in Europe by Marco Polo, who appears to have mixed up the island with Mogadishu, so the word’s history is a real cartographic ghost story.
Etymological Timeline
13th Century
Italian
Madagascar
“A name used by Marco Polo in travel writing, apparently referring to a place he had not actually visited”
14th Century
Latin
Madagascar
“A European geographical name circulating in maps and accounts for an island off Africa”
16th Century
Portuguese
Madagáscar
“The island’s established European name in early modern navigation and cartography”
Modern English
English
Madagascar
“The modern name of the island nation”