Bartholomeu Dias

1 7.9

A Portuguese sailor who first sailed around the Cape of Good Hope and opened a sea route to Asia

proper noun

: Bartolomeu Dias

Bartholomeu Dias was the first European to round the Cape of Good Hope in 1488.

Examples

The achievements of Bartholomeu Dias paved the way for future expeditions to India.
Many historians regard Bartholomeu Dias as a pioneer of the Age of Discovery.
Bartholomeu Dias was the first European to round the Cape of Good Hope in 1488.
Bartholomeu Dias was an explorer.
Did Bartholomeu Dias really sail around the Cape of Good Hope?
Many historians regard Bartholomeu Dias as a pioneer of the Age of Discovery.
The achievements of Bartholomeu Dias paved the way for future expeditions to India.

Synonyms

Dias

vsBartholomeu Dias

1 5.6

A Portuguese explorer who first sailed around the Cape of Good Hope and opened a sea route to Asia

has identical meaning but uses a different spelling of the given name

Surface Forms

Bartholomeu Dias main

Morphology

Bartholomeu + Dias

This is a personal name (proper noun) referring to a historical individual; its meaning (a Portuguese explorer who rounded the Cape) is not built from or derivable from the constituent name parts. Knowing the words 'Bartholomeu' and 'Dias' does not let a B1 learner infer the biographical fact — this requires encyclopedic/world knowledge rather than compositional vocabulary knowledge.

Etymology

Bartholomeu Dias was a Portuguese sailor who in 1488 became the first European to sail around the Cape of Good Hope, the southern tip of Africa. Picture him steering through wild seas and rounding the Cape to open a new sea route to Asia, so his name refers to the explorer who 'opened a sea route to Asia'.