Copacabana Beach

1 3.2

A famous sandy beach in Rio de Janeiro that many tourists visit

proper noun

: Playa de Copacabana

Have you ever been to Copacabana Beach?

Examples

The annual New Year's Eve celebration at Copacabana Beach attracts millions of visitors from around the world.
I love visiting Copacabana Beach during the summer.
Many tourists flock to Copacabana Beach every year to enjoy the lively festivals and sunbathe on the sand.
She took stunning photos of the sunset at Copacabana Beach during her trip to Brazil.
Many tourists flock to Copacabana Beach every summer to enjoy the sun and surf.
The lively atmosphere at Copacabana Beach makes it a popular spot for both locals and visitors.
As the sun sets, the vibrant nightlife along Copacabana Beach comes alive with music and dancing.

Surface Forms

Copacabana Beach main

Morphology

Copacabana + beach

The compound 'Copacabana Beach' transparently indicates a beach associated with the place-name 'Copacabana', so a B1 learner who knows 'beach' will understand it refers to a particular beach. However, the specific information that it is a famous sandy tourist destination in Rio de Janeiro (its fame and location) is world-knowledge tied to the proper name and not derivable from the constituent words alone, so the expression is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Copacabana Beach may come from a town in Bolivia called Copacabana, famous for a statue of the Virgin that looked over a lake. Sailors and visitors carried the name to Rio, so the sandy bay in Brazil became known as 'Copacabana'.