Type Country
Scripts Μαλδίβες(Greek)
Pronounced Pron. məl-DEE-vəs(Catalan) məl-DEE-bəs(Catalan) mal-DEE-vehs(Catalan) MAWL-deevs(English) MAWL-dievs(English) MAWL-dievz(English) MAL-dievz(English) MAL-DEEV(French) [key·IPA]
Meaning & History
Uncertain, possibly means "Malé islands" from Dhivehi މާލެ (māle) referring to Malé, the capital city of the Maldives, combined with Sanskrit द्वीप (dvīpá) meaning "island". Alternately, it may be from Sanskrit मालाद्वीप (Maladwīpa) meaning "crown island" or "garland of islands" from माला (mālā) meaning "garland, wreath, crown" and द्वीप (dvīpá) meaning "island". This is the name of an island country in South Asia.