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Glite Dictionary
Ladrone Islands

Ladrone Islands

9.9
A former name for islands in the Pacific including Guam and the Northern Marianas
  • proper noun
translation icon : Islas Ladrones
  • Historians studied old maps that marked Guam and its neighbors as the Ladrone Islands.

Examples

  • The name Ladrone Islands was later replaced by the Mariana Islands to honor Queen Mariana of Spain.

  • The explorer Ferdinand Magellan visited the Ladrone Islands during his voyage in 1521.

  • The Ladrone Islands are known for their beautiful beaches.

  • Have you ever visited the Ladrone Islands?

  • The explorer Ferdinand Magellan visited the Ladrone Islands during his voyage in 1521.

  • Historians studied old maps that marked Guam and its neighbors as the Ladrone Islands.

  • The name Ladrone Islands was later replaced by the Mariana Islands to honor Queen Mariana of Spain.

Synonyms

Marianas
vsLadrone Islands
5 7.4

A chain of coral and volcanic islands that lie in the western Pacific Ocean between New Guinea and Japan

is the earlier name for that island chain
Mariana Islands
vsLadrone Islands
1 4.8

A chain of islands in the western Pacific Ocean, including Guam

is the earlier name used for this same group of islands

Surface Forms

Ladrone Islands main

Morphology

Ladrone + island

The noun 'island' clearly signals that the phrase refers to a group of islands, but 'Ladrone' is a proper name (historically from Spanish) that is not a transparent English lexical item and will be unfamiliar to B1 learners. Thus only the general category (islands) is recoverable from the parts; the specific geographic referent and historical name cannot be derived without prior knowledge.

Etymology

Ladrone Islands comes from the Spanish phrase 'Islas de los Ladrones'. Spanish sailors gave this name after some islanders took things from their ships, so Ladrone means 'thief' and the name meant 'thief islands' before it was changed to the Mariana Islands.