Montego Bay
3
2.7
- proper noun
- Tourists flock to Montego Bay for its vibrant nightlife and cultural attractions.
Examples
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During our visit to Montego Bay, we enjoyed delicious local cuisine and stunning ocean views.
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My parents both went to college in Montego Bay.
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We spent our holiday relaxing on the beautiful beaches of Montego Bay.
Surface Forms
Morphology
Montego + bay
The noun 'bay' clearly signals a coastal inlet or place, so a learner who knows 'bay' can infer Montego Bay is a coastal location named Montego. However, 'Montego' is a proper name with no compositional meaning in English, so specific information that it is a port/resort city known for tourism and beaches is not derivable from the parts alone. Because part of the meaning (coastal location) is transparent but the fuller cultural/functional senses are not, the expression is only partially transparent.
Etymology
The place name Montego Bay may come from the old Spanish word 'manteca', which means 'lard'. Traders once dried and shipped pig fat from the bay, and English speakers changed 'manteca' into Montego, so the town kept the name Montego Bay today.