Naples
/ˈneɪpəlz/noun
A city and major port in southern Italy on the Bay of Naples.
Did you know?Before Naples became Neapolis, the area was associated with Parthenope, a mythical siren whose name was preserved in the earlier Greek settlement.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pólis
“Citadel or fortified settlement; the ancient root behind Greek words for city and community.”
8th–7th Century BCE
Ancient Greek
Παρθενόπη (Parthenópē)
“The earlier Greek settlement on the site, named for Parthenope, a legendary siren.”
6th Century BCE
Ancient Greek
Νεάπολις (Neápolis)
““New city,” the Greek name of the expanded settlement.”
Ancient Roman period
Latin
Neapolis
“The Latin form of the Greek place-name, retaining the sense “new city.””
Medieval period
Italian
Napoli
“The Italian continuation of Neapolis.”
Modern English
English
Naples
“The English form of the Italian city-name.”
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