Zanguebar
/ˌzæŋɡəˈbɑːr/noun
An obsolete European name for Zanzibar or the East African coast associated with the Zanj.
Did you know?The Zanj were historically described Arabic-speaking sources as Black East Africans, especially people connected with the Swahili coast and the medieval Zanj rebellion in Iraq.
Etymological Timeline
Early Medieval Period
Persian/Arabic
zangī-bār / zanǧ-bar
“Coast or land associated with the Zanj; bār meant coast or shore in the Persian compound.”
Medieval Arabic
Arabic
Zanj
“A term used for Black peoples of the East African coast and, more broadly, the Swahili littoral.”
13th–15th Centuries
Persian and Arabic
Zangibār / Zanǧibār
“A geographical name for the East African coastal region and islands.”
16th Century
Portuguese
Zanguebar
“European Portuguese rendering of the Arabic-Persian geographic name.”
17th–19th Centuries
English
Zanguebar
“An obsolete English form used for Zanzibar or the adjacent East African coast.”
Modern English
English
Zanzibar
“The standard modern name for the Tanzanian island region, replacing older European forms such as Zanguebar.”