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Glite Dictionary
Cristobal Colon

Cristobal Colon

7.1
The Spanish name for the Italian explorer Christopher Columbus who reached the Americas in 1492
  • proper noun
  • /krɪsˈtoʊbəl kəˈloʊn/
translation icon : Cristóbal Colón
  • In 1492, Cristobal Colon sailed across the Atlantic.

Examples

  • In Spanish history books, Cristobal Colon is credited with discovering America.

  • Many Latin American countries celebrate the arrival of Cristobal Colon each October.

  • The ship was named Cristobal Colon in honor of the famed explorer.

  • Did Cristobal Colon really believe he had found Asia?

  • In Spanish history books, Cristobal Colon is credited with discovering America.

  • Many Latin American countries celebrate the arrival of Cristobal Colon each October.

  • The ship was named Cristobal Colon in honor of the famed explorer.

Synonyms

Columbus
vsCristobal Colon
109 4.4

An Italian explorer from the 1400s who sailed across the Atlantic and reached the Americas

is the Spanish full name not just the family name
Christopher Columbus
vsCristobal Colon
1 3.9

An Italian explorer who sailed across the Atlantic in 1492 and opened European travel to the Americas

is the Spanish name rather than the English full form
Cristoforo Colombo
vsCristobal Colon
7.3

An Italian explorer who sailed across the ocean to the Americas

is the Spanish form used when speaking Spanish rather than Italian

Surface Forms

Cristobal Colon main

Morphology

Cristobal + Colon

“Cristobal Colon” is a Spanish proper name (the localized form of Christopher Columbus), not a compositional phrase whose meaning arises from its parts. The components are personal names (not transparent English lexical items) and do not signal ‘navigator’ or ‘discoverer’ to a B1 learner, so the referent cannot be inferred from the words alone. Even though many languages have cognate name forms, the link to the historical person is an arbitrary naming convention rather than predictable semantics.

Etymology

Cristobal Colon is the Spanish form of the explorer Christopher Columbus. Spanish speakers changed his Italian name into Cristobal Colon, so the name is used to mean the man who sailed for Spain in 1492 and 'discovered' the Americas.