Quebec
/kwəˈbɛk/noun
A province of eastern Canada and its largest city, centered on the St. Lawrence River.
Did you know?The name is usually traced to an Algonquian word, often reconstructed as meaning “where the river narrows,” and it was first applied by French explorers to the area around present-day Quebec City.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-1600
Algonquian
kebek / kébec (reconstructed)
““where the river narrows” or “narrow passage””
1608
French
Québec
“The settlement and fort at the narrowing of the St. Lawrence River”
17th Century
French
Québec
“The growing colonial place-name for the city and surrounding area”
18th-19th Century
English
Quebec
“English form of the French place-name for the city and province”
1867
English
Quebec
“Province name in the Canadian Confederation”
Modern English
English
Quebec
“The Canadian province and its capital city”