From bikini to turkey — language is full of travel destinations
From bikini to turkey — language is full of travel destinations
Did you know that many everyday words are actually geonyms? These are words derived from geographical names.
Bikini → named after the island of Bikini
Turkey → named after Turkey
Canary → derived from the Canary Islands
Flamenco → originating from Flanders
Pils → originating from Pilsen
The term geonym was coined in 1990 by Dutch scholar Robert-Henk Zuidinga and became popular thanks to Ewoud Sanders’ Geonym Dictionary.
It’s funny how language constantly allows us to travel without even realizing it.
Nice article in Quest magazine in The Netherlands