Magdalena River

1 4.9

A major river in Colombia that flows north from the mountains to the Caribbean Sea

proper noun

: río Magdalena

The Magdalena River is vital to transportation and commerce in Colombia.

Examples

The Magdalena River is the longest river in Colombia.
Many cities along the Magdalena River depend on its waters for agriculture.
The journey up the Magdalena River offers stunning views of the Colombian landscape.
Many tourists visit the Magdalena River for its beauty.
The Magdalena River is vital to transportation and commerce in Colombia.
Many cities along the Magdalena River depend on its waters for agriculture.
The journey up the Magdalena River offers stunning views of the Colombian landscape.

Synonyms

Magdalena

vsMagdalena River

2 5.3

A large river in Colombia that rises in the Andes and flows north to the Caribbean Sea

describes the watercourse generally without naming the coastal city where it ends

Surface Forms

Magdalena River main

Morphology

Magdalena + river

The phrase is a simple place name formed from the proper noun 'Magdalena' plus the common noun 'river', so a learner who knows both constituents will understand it denotes the river named Magdalena (a watercourse in Colombia). This is fully compositional and follows a common cross-linguistic pattern for naming geographical features, so it is transparent.

Etymology

Magdalena River may get its name from Magdalena, the Spanish form of Mary Magdalene from the Bible. One popular story says early Spanish explorers named the river after her because they reached it on her 'feast day', so the name stuck and today it simply refers to the great river in Colombia.