Montenegro
/ˌmɒntɪˈniːɡroʊ/noun
A country on the Adriatic coast of southeastern Europe.
Did you know?Montenegro is the Romance-language calque of the South Slavic name Crna Gora, traditionally associated with the dark, forested appearance of Mount Lovćen.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*men-
“To project or stand out; a reconstructed root associated with elevated forms and the ancestry of mountain-related words.”
Classical Latin
Latin
mons, montis
“Mountain or elevated landform.”
Late Latin
Latin
monte
“In or from a mountain; the form that supplied Romance descendants such as Italian and Venetian monte.”
Medieval period
South Slavic
Crna Gora
“Black Mountain; the native Slavic name for the region.”
14th–15th centuries
Venetian/Italian
Montenegro
“Black Mountain; a Romance translation of Crna Gora used in Adriatic and Venetian contexts.”
Modern English
English
Montenegro
“The established English name of the Balkan country, retaining the medieval Romance form.”
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