Words Derived From Places: A Lexicon
Words Derived From Places
This table shows words that come from place names, along with their definitions and origins.
| Word | Definition | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| ACADEMY | A secondary preparatory school, especially a private one. | Academia, the school where Plato taught |
| ACAPULCO GOLD | Mexican-grown marijuana that is considered very strong. | Acapulco, Mexico |
| AFRO-AMERICAN | An American of African and especially of black African descent. | Africa + America |
| ALPINISM | Mountain climbing in the Alps or other high mountains. | The Alps, the most important mountain range in Europe |
| ANGELENO | A native or inhabitant of Los Angeles. | American Spanish angeleño, de Los Angeles |
| ARABIC NUMERAL | Any of the number symbols 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9. | Arabia |
| ARCHIPELAGO | A large group of isles. | Greek Archipelago, “the Aegean Sea” |
| ASIAGO | A yellow Italian cheese suitable for grating when aged. | Asiago, Italy |
| ARMAGEDDON | A decisive or catastrophic conflict. | the mountain region of Megiddo, in the Old Testament |
| ARRAS | A wall hanging; a tapestry. | Arras, a city of France |
| BABYLONIAN | Characterized by a luxurious, pleasure-seeking and often immoral way of life. | Babylon |
| BANGKOK | A hat made of finely woven straw. | Bangkok, the capital and largest city of Thailand |
| BERMUDA SHORTS | Short pants that end slightly above the knee. | the island of Bermuda |
| BORSTAL | (British) A reformatory | Borstal, English village where the first such institution was set up |
| BRAUNSCHWEIGER | A smoked liver sausage. | Braunschweig (Brunswick), Germany |
| BROADWAY | The American theater spoken of collectively. | Broadway, New York City |
| BUFFALO WINGS | Fried chicken wings served with hot sauce and blue cheese dressing. | Buffalo, New York, where they were first served |
| BURGER | A sandwich consisting of bread and a filling of ground meat. | Hamburg, Germany |
| BURGUNDY | French red wine. | Burgundy, a historical region of France |
| CALIFORNIO | One of the original Spanish colonist of California or their descendants. | Spanish, from California |
| CAMELOT | A place or time of idealized beauty, peacefulness, and enlightenment. | Camelot, the site of King Arthur´s court |
| CAPRI PANTS | Women’s tight-fitting, calf-length pants, often having a slit on the outside of the leg bottoms. | Capri, an island of southern Italy |
| CHAMPAGNE | 1.- A sparkling white wine 2.- A yellowish color. | Champagne, a historical region of France |
| CHARLESTON | A fast ballroom dance in 4/4 time, popular during the 1920s. | Charleston, South Carolina |
| CHIHUAHUA | A very small breed of dog. | Chihuahua, a city and state of Mexico |
| CHINA | 1.- High quality porcelain used for the table. | China |
| CLINK | A prison or a prison cell; a jail. | Clink, a district of London famous for its prison |
| COLISEUM | A large amphitheater for public sports events, entertainment, or assemblies. | The Colisseum, an amphitheater in Rome |
| COLOGNE | A scented liquid made of alcohol and various fragrant oils. | Cologne, a city of Germany |
| DALMATIAN | A breed of dog with spotted fur. | Dalmatia, a historical region of Yugoslavia |
| DOLLAR | 1.- A coin or bill that is worth one dollar. 2.- The U.S currency | Joachimstal, Czech Republican where similar coins were minted |
| FESCENNINE | Licentious, Obscene. | Fescennia, a town of ancient Etruia known for its licentious poetry |
| FINLANDIZE | To cause, to adopt a neutral or conciliatory posture and policy in its relations with a great power. | Finland |
| FUSTIAN | A coarse, sturdy cloth made of cotton and flax. | El Fustat, a section of Cairo, Egypt. |
| GENOISE | A delicate, buttery sponge cake. | Genoa, a city of northwest Italy |
| GUINEA PIG | 1.- Any of various tailless rodents that are used as experimental animals. 2.- A person who is used as a subject for experimentation or research. | The Guinea Coast |
| HACKNEYED | Lacking in freshness or originality. | Hackney, a borough in London |
| HOLLYWOOD | 1.- The U.S. film industry. | Hollywood, California |
| INDIAN | Relating to any of the Native American peoples. | India |
| ITALIAN DRESSING | A salad dressing. | Italy |
| ITALIAN SANDWICH | A submarine sandwich made with white bread. | Italy |
| JAPONISM | Something characteristically Japanese. | Japan |
| JAVA | Brewed coffee. | Java, an island of Indonesia |
| LESBIAN | A gay or homosexual woman. | Lesbos, an island of eastern Greece, home of the poetess Sappho |
| LYONNAISE | Cooked with onions. | Lyon, France |
| MALAGA | A sweet fortified wine. | Malaga, Spain |
| MALL | A shopping center. | The Mall, in London in which is noted by its nightclubs |
| MANHATTAN | A type of cocktail. | Manhattan, a borough of New York |
| MANX CAT | Any of a breed of the domestic cat. | The Isle of Man, England. |
| MONGOLISM | Down syndrome. | Mongolia, a country of northcentral Asia. |