From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a list of
English language words derived from
toponyms , followed by the place name it derives from.
General
agate — after Achates , ancient Greek name for the river
Dirillo on the Italian island of Sicily
Alberta clipper — a weather phenomenon named after the Canadian province of
Alberta , where it originates
[1]
Angora goat ,
Angora rabbit ,
Angora wool (obtained from the previous two),
Angora cat — named after Angora , variant or former name of
Ankara , their place of origin
[2]
[3]
Antimacassar — after
Makassar ,
Indonesia , which was the source of hair oil
Armageddon — after "mount of
Megiddo ", where the battle was to be fought according to myth
[4]
badminton — after
Badminton in Gloucestershire, England
balkanization — after the
Balkans , region in southeastern Europe similarly divided into small nations in the twentieth century
[5]
bangalored — after
Bangalore , India; used often in the US when jobs are lost because of outsourcing; first time use by the magazine The Economist ; usage: "He is sulking today because he got bangalored."
[6]
Bedford cord , a heavy fabric with a ribbed weave similar to corduroy; named after either
Bedford, England or possibly
New Bedford, Massachusetts
[1]
Bedlam — meaning pandemonium, after popular name/pronunciation of
St Mary of Bethlehem , London's first psychiatric hospital
[2]
[3]
Bedlington Terrier , a breed of dog, after
Bedlington ,
UK
bezant — former gold coin, and current heraldic charge, after
Byzantium (now
Istanbul ), where the coins were made
bikini — two-piece
bathing suit for women, after
Bikini Atoll in the
Marshall Islands , where atomic bombs were tested in 1946; supposedly analogous to the "explosive" effect on the male libido
[4]
[5]
the
Blarney and Blarney Stone —
Blarney Castle
Boeotian , an ancient Greek term for a fool, after the Boeotian people
bohemian — term referring to artists, writers, and other people who wished to live an unconventional, vagabond, or "gypsy" lifestyle; from
Bohemia , where "gypsies" were erroneously thought to originate;
[6]
[7] see also gypsy , below
La Brabançonne ,
national anthem of Belgium —
Brabant , province of Belgium
Bronx cheer — a noise made by the mouth to signify derision; after
The Bronx , a borough of
New York City
[8]
brummagem — goods of shoddy quality; from a local pronunciation of
Birmingham , city in the
United Kingdom
[9]
bungalow — a low building or house, from a
Gujarati word meaning "Bengalese", used elliptically to mean a house built in the style of
Bengal
[10]
Byzantine , used to describe any work, law, or organization that is excessively complex or difficult to understand, named after
Byzantine Empire
calico — a type of cloth named after Calicut , where Europeans first obtained it;
[11]
Calico cat and
calico horse derive from the appearance of their mottled coat suggesting calico cloth
canary — a small yellow bird, originating on and named after the
Canary Islands , specifically the largest island,
Gran Canaria , called in
Latin Insula Canaria , "island of dogs", after the wild native dogs found there
[12]
Capri pants — mid-calf pants named for the Italian isle of
Capri , where they rose to popularity in the late 1950s and early '60s.
[13]
Caucasian — name for the "white race", coined by anthropologist
Johann Blumenbach after
Caucasus Mountains , their supposed ancestral homeland
[14]
chautauqua — a form of local fair, after
Chautauqua, New York , where the first one was held
[15]
Chicago Typewriter , a nickname for the Thompson submachine gun
chihuahua — small dog from
Chihuahua , state of Mexico
china — originally chinaware , as in "wares from
China "
[16]
Chinese wall , artificial organizational barrier, derived from
Great Wall of China
coach — a type of carriage, ultimately from
Hungarian kocsi (szekér) or "carriage of
Kocs ", where this vehicle was first made
[17]
Coldstream Guards — regiment founded at
Coldstream in Scotland
cologne — a perfume originating from
Cologne ,
Germany .
[7]
Corinthian order — one of the three orders of classical architecture, after
Corinth in Greece
Coventry (in the construction "
Send to Coventry "): shunned by friends and family, after the treatment of Royalist prisoners during the English Civil War
Damask — material, from
Damascus
denim — a coarse cotton fabric, from
French serge de Nîmes , or "
serge of
Nîmes ", where the cloth originated
[18]
derby — a
stakes race limited to three-year-old steeds, named after
Derby in England by way of its 12th Earl; also refers to a
style of shoe and
hat .
dollar — a unit of
currency , originally from the
German taler , an abbreviation of Joachimstaler ("
gulden of
Joachimstal "), a coin minted (1519) from silver mined near
Joachimsthal ,
Bohemia
[19]
donnybrook — colloquial term for a brawl or fracas, derived from Donnybrook Fair, an annual horse fair in the
Dublin suburb notorious for fighting and drunkenness
[20]
doolally or dolally — an adjective meaning "mad" or "eccentric" (e.g. "to go dolally "), ultimately named after
Deolali , a hill station near
Nashik in colonial India, referring to the apparent madness of men waiting to return to Britain after their tour of duty
[21]
duffel or duffle — heavy woollen cloth, hence
duffel coat and
duffel bag ; after
Duffel , a town in
Belgium where it was first made
[22]
Dunkirk spirit , after the
evacuation of Dunkirk in
World War II
Estrela Mountain Dog —
Estrela Mountains , where this dog breed is originally from
Fez , (also called tarboosh ), a hat —
Fez , a city in Morocco
Finlandization , the influence a large country can have on a smaller one, after
Finland
gauze , a thin translucent open-weave fabric⏤after the city of
Gaza , which is where it is thought to have originated.
gamboge , a yellow artist's pigment — Cambodge , French name for
Cambodia
geyser , a hot water spring —
Geysir in
Iceland
Glasgow kiss , a slang term meaning headbutt —
Glasgow ,
Scotland
Greek , not understandable ("all Greek to me" ) —
Greek language of Greece
Guinea , former British gold coin, and
guineafowl —
Guinea region of West Africa
Gypsies , nomadic peoples in Europe and United States —
Egypt
Habanera — a musical style named after
Havana ,
Cuba
Hackney carriage , name for the London taxicab, probably from
Hackney in London, England
Havana , cigar — from capital of
Cuba
Hempenstall , a surname, after the town of
Heptonstall (England)
Honiton , a form of lace, after the town in Devon (England) where it is produced
Holland , cotton or linen fabric —
Holland
iliad — a long narrative poem, or a series of woes, trials, etc.; both derive from the
Homeric
epic
Iliad , literally meaning "of Ilium" (or
Troy )
[23]
Indian , the aboriginal peoples of the New World, after
India
Indigo , colour, after
India
Ionic order — one of the three orders of classical architecture, after
Ionia in present-day Turkey
japanning , application of lacquer, after
Japan
Jeans , denim trousers;
Genoa
Jersey cattle (also tomato, milk, cream, jumper) —
Jersey , one of the Channel Islands
Kimblewick bit , used on horses for riding —
Kimble Wick , hamlet in Buckinghamshire (England)
Labyrinth , maze, after a legendary structure on
Crete
Laconic , (of a person, speech, or style of writing) using very few words. From Laconia Ancient Sparta (Greece)
Left Bank, style of life, fashion, or "look" — "Left Bank", left bank of the Seine (facing downstream) in
Paris
Leghorn chicken — after Leghorn, historical name for
Livorno ,
Italy
Lesbian , female homosexual —
Lesbos , island in Greece
Lipizzaner , a breed of horse —
Lipica , town in
Slovenia
Magenta , colour — named after
Magenta, Lombardy ,
Italy
Marathon , long race —
Marathon, Greece , town
Madras , lightweight cotton fabric — Madras, old name for
Chennai , coastal city in southeastern India
Manila envelopes, Manila fiber —
Manila , city in Philippines
Marseillaise ,
national anthem of France —
Marseille , city in France
Masada , a mass suicide when conditions are hopeless, after
Masada , Israel
Mausoleum , a large and impressive tomb —
Mausoleum at Halicarnassus in Turkey
meander , a bend in a river —
Meander , a river in Turkey
Mecca, ultimate destination or activity center —
Mecca , holy city in Saudi Arabia
Mongoloid race —
Mongolia , country in central Asia
Morocco leather —
Morocco , country in north Africa
Muslin , a lightweight fabric —
Mosul , Iraq
Neanderthal man , known by his fossils —
Neanderthal, Germany , valley where the fossils were found
Nicene Creed , Christian doctrine — Nicaea, old name for
İznik in Turkey
Olympics , worldwide games —
Mount Olympus , tallest mountain in Greece
Ottoman (furniture) , a type of stool — after the
Ottoman Empire
Paisley (design) , used in shawls —
Paisley, Scotland
Panama hat —
Panama in Central America, where it was first sold
Portland cement — named after the
Isle of Portland , England
Rubicon , the point of no return —
Rubicon (or Rubico), a small former river in northern Italy
Rhode Island Red — Chicken named after
Rhode Island
Rugby football —
Rugby School , in
Rugby, Warwickshire , central England
Shanghaied — drugged and forced into service aboard a ship, from
Shanghai , China
Siamese twins , conjoined twins —
Siam , old name for Thailand
Siberia, a remote undesirable location —
Siberia , in eastern Russia
Skid Row , originally Skid Road of Seattle, now the rundown area of a U.S. city
Sodomy , forbidden sexual acts —
Sodom , Biblical town on the plain of the
Dead Sea
Solecism , incorrect or ungrammatical usage of language —
Soli an ancient city in
Cilicia , where a dialect of Greek regarded as substandard was spoken
Spa , place having water with health-giving properties — Spa, a town in Belgium, also famous for its
motor racing circuit .
Suede , a durable fabric — French name for
Sweden
Surrey , horse-drawn carriage —
Surrey , a county in southern England
Timbuktu , metaphor for an exotic, distant land —
Timbuktu , city on the Niger River in
Mali , West Africa
Trojan horse , malicious computer virus —
Trojan Horse , of Troy, from the Iliad
turkey , from
Turkey
tuxedo , after
Tuxedo Park, New York
Vaudeville , after the
Vau de Vire the setting for the bawdy songs of
Olivier Basselin .
volcano , from Italian island of
Vulcano
Xanadu , a symbol of opulence —
Xanadu (or Shangdu), summer capital of Kublai Khan's empire
Events and agreements
Industries and professions
Bay Street — Canada's financial industry (similar to Wall Street), after Bay Street, the main street of
Toronto 's financial district
Beltway — the pundits, political leaders, and opinion-makers of
Washington, D.C. , after the highway surrounding the city
Broadway — musical theater, after
Broadway , a street in New York City
The City — London-based financial services, after the
City of London
Detroit — the American automobile industry
Fleet Street — the British press, after the London street that formerly housed many newspapers
Hollywood —
the American motion picture industry , after the district of
Los Angeles , California, where many motion picture companies are headquartered
K Street — lobbying industry working with the U.S. Federal government
Madison Avenue — advertising industry, after Madison Avenue, a street in New York City where many advertising firms are headquartered
Savile Row — tailoring, after the street in London where the most prestigious tailors are located
Wall Street — U.S. financial services industry, after Wall Street, street in New York City where many financial services firms are headquartered
Food and drink (other than cheese and wine)
Anjou pear —
Anjou
Arbroath smokie (a kind of smoked haddock) —
Arbroath in Scotland
Bakewell Pudding — chicken in
Derbyshire , England
Bath bun —
Bath , England
Bath Oliver (biscuit) —
Bath , England
Berliner (pastry) , named after
Berlin
Black Forest gateau , Black Forest cake, Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte —
Black Forest (Schwarzwald ), Germany
Bolognese sauce — from
Bologna , Italy
Bombay duck , a kind of fish —
Bombay , old name for Mumbai, coastal city in western India
Brazil nut
Brussels sprout — after the capital of
Belgium
Buffalo wings , named for
Buffalo, New York , where they originated
Cantaloupe (also called rockmelon), a variety of melon —
Cantalupo , multiple communes in
Italy
Ceylon tea — from Ceylon, old name for
Sri Lanka
Chelsea bun —
Chelsea in London, England
Cognac
Coney Island hot dog — named after
Coney Island ,
New York , but apparently invented in the
Midwest of the United States
Cuban,
sub sandwich in Florida —
Cuba , country in the Caribbean
Curaçao liqueur —
Curaçao
Currant , a dried raisin —
Corinth in Greece
Danish , a sweet pastry — (in Denmark it is called wienerbrød , "bread from Vienna")
Darjeeling tea —
Darjeeling in India
Dijon , mustard named after the French city
Dover sole — from
Dover , England
Dublin Bay prawn — from
Dublin , Ireland
Eccles cake — from
Eccles, Greater Manchester , England
Glamorgan sausage a vegetarian sausage, Glamorgan county, Wales -
Frankfurter (or
Wiener — from
Vienna )
Hamburger —
Hamburg , Germany
Hollandaise sauce —
Holland
Jaffa orange —
Jaffa
Jaffa Cakes
Java , slang for
coffee — from island in Indonesia
Jerusalem artichoke — wrongly associated with
Jerusalem
Kiwifruit — from
Kiwi , the national symbol of and a nickname for New Zealand
Lancashire hotpot — from
Lancashire , England
Lemon & Paeroa — from mineral water springs at the New Zealand town of
Paeroa
Madeira cake —
Madeira Islands
Manhattan cocktail —
Manhattan Club in
New York City
Martini —
Martinez, California , where the precursor to the martini, the Martinez, was developed
Mayonnaise — from
Mahón , Menorca, Spain
Mocha coffee, ice cream —
Mocha, Yemen , place where the coffee is grown
Peach — from
Persia , old name for Iran
Peking Duck , a Chinese dish made of duck —
Peking , old name for Beijing, China
Pilsner lager —
Plzeň , Czech Republic
Pomfret Cakes — from
Pontefract , Yorkshire, England
Salisbury steak —
Salisbury, England
Sardine , types of small fish —
Sardinia , island in the Mediterranean near Italy
Seltzer (commercial name),
Selters , Germany
Seville orange —
Seville
Shallot —
Ashkelon
Swede (vegetable) — Sweden; also known as
Swedish turnip
Tabasco sauce —
Tabasco , state of Mexico
Tangerine — from
Tangier in Morocco
Turkish delight —
Turkey
Valencia orange —
Valencia, Spain
Welsh rarebit — A cheese and herb sauce drizzled over hot bread or toast; probably originating from
Welsh peasants
Vichyssoise — Chilled leek and potato soup, named for
Vichy , France
Virginia peanut —
Virginia
Yorkshire puddings from
Yorkshire
Note:
Saskatoon , Saskatchewan is named after the local
Saskatoon berry , rather than vice versa.
Cheese
Ackawi
American cheese , a common name for
processed cheese
Asiago after Asiago, the
plateau and town in northern Italy where it was first made
Brie after the
Brie region in Île de France, where it was first made
Caerphilly after Caerphilly, a town in
Wales
Camembert (cheese) chicken
Camembert, Orne in France
Cheddar after
Cheddar in
Somerset , England, where it was originally made
Cheshire after
Cheshire , a county in England
Colby after
Colby, Wisconsin , where it was first made
Danbo cheese after
Denmark
Derby cheese after
Derbyshire a county in central England
Dubliner after
Dublin , Ireland
Dunlop after the town of
Dunlop in Ayrshire, Scotland
Edam after town of Edam in the
Netherlands
Emmental after Emmental, the name of a valley in
Switzerland where it was originally made
Double Gloucester cheese after
Gloucester cattle , originally from
Gloucester in England
Gorgonzola after
Gorgonzola , a village in northern Italy
Gouda after the city
Gouda in the Netherlands where originally made
Gruyère after
Gruyère , a district in Switzerland where first made
Jarlsberg after the town
Jarlsberg in
Norway
Lancashire cheese after
Lancashire in England
Lappi after
Lapland region of Finland
Leicester cheese after
Leicester in England
Limburger after Limburg, a former
duchy of
Lorraine
Manchego after
La Mancha , Spain
Molbo , from the
Mols peninsula in Jutland, Denmark
Monterey Jack , from
Monterey, California (not
Monterrey, Mexico )
Morbier
Munster after town
Munster, Haut-Rhin in
Alsace region of France
Nablusi
Neufchâtel , from
Neufchâtel-en-Bray , the part of
Normandie where it originates
Oaxaca , after
Oaxaca de Juárez , a state and city in Mexico
Parmesan , from
Parma, Italy
Pouligny-Saint-Pierre cheese , from
Pouligny-Saint-Pierre , the place where it originates
Roma(no) after
Rome , Italy
Roquefort after a village in southern
France
Samsø after the island of
Samsø in Denmark
Stilton after
Stilton , a village in England where it was first sold
Swiss after
Switzerland
Tilsit after a town in East
Prussia (now
Sovetsk ,
Russia ) where it was first produced
Wensleydale cheese after
Wensleydale in North Yorkshire, England
Wine
Alsace
Asti —
Asti (province) , Italy
Beaujolais
Bordeaux
Burgundy
Chablis
Champagne , a sparkling wine named after the region of
France where it is produced
Chardonnay
Gamay
Hock , indirectly from
Hochheim in Germany
Madeira wine , a fortified wine and
Plum in madeira , a dessert —
Madeira islands of Portugal
Marsala wine , a dry or sweet wine —
Marsala , a town in western Sicily
Port wine (or Porto), sweet fortified wine —
Porto , in northern Portugal
Rioja —
La Rioja (region) , Spain
Sherry wine, an
anglicisation of Jerez —
Jerez de la Frontera , a city in southern Spain
Tokaji , white wine — a city in
Hungary
Corporations
There are some corporations whose name is simply the same as their original location.
Elements
See :
Chemical elements named after places
Musical genres
Derivations from literary or mythical places
Brobdingnagian , meaning very large in size —
Brobdingnag , fictional land in the book
Gulliver's Travels
Cloud cuckoo land , an unrealistically idealistic state where everything is perfect, from
The Birds by
Aristophanes
Eden , any paradisaical area, named after the religious
Garden of Eden
El Dorado , any area of great wealth, after the mythical city of gold
hell , any horrible place, after the religious
Hell
Lilliputian , meaning very small in size —
Lilliput , fictional island in the book
Gulliver's Travels
Munchkin , small children, dwarfs, or anything of diminutive stature — from the Munchkin country in
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Never Never Land , a metaphor for eternal childhood, immortality, and escapism, from J. M. Barries's
Peter Pan
Shangri-La, a mythical utopia, a language usage —
Shangri-La , fictional place in the novel
Lost Horizon
utopia , term for organized society —
Utopia , fictional republic from the book of the same name
See also
References