Madagascar

Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. Check marks indicate the level to which a name has been verified.
Madagascar 1
Revisions 3. usages AND description are verified
Type Country & Island
Usage English

Meaning & History

An island country in Africa.
Added 4/24/2020 by anonymous
Edited 4/24/2020 by Lucille

Madagascar 2
not set
Type Country & Island
Usage English, Catalan, Nahuatl, French, Italian, Manx, Portuguese (Brazilian), Spanish, Corsican
Pronounced Pron. madəgaskə(English, Manx) madəgaskahr(English) madə-GASKə(English) mədəgəska(Catalan) machakaska(Nahuatl) madagaskar(French, Italian, Spanish, Corsican) madagaskur(Brazilian Portuguese) madhaghaskar(Spanish)  [key·IPA]

Meaning & History

From Middle French Madagascar, from Madageiscar, as a corrupted transliteration of Mogadishu by Marco Polo's misreading of Arabic.

The actual misconstrued term was Arabic جَزِيرَة المَالَائِيّ‎ (jazīrat al-mālāʾiyy) meaning "the island of mālāī" listed alongside Arabic جَزِيرَة القَمَر‎ (#jazīrat al-qamar" meaning "island of the moon" which lent its named to Comoros. Madagascar, however likely being the original later based on the dimensions.
Added 7/30/2021 by KING JULIEN

See Also

User submission Madagáscar