Perejil Island

8.2

A small uninhabited island near the coast of Morocco claimed by both Morocco and Spain

proper noun

: Isla Perejil

In 2002, a brief conflict arose over control of Perejil Island.

Examples

The sovereignty of Perejil Island has been a source of dispute between Morocco and Spain.
Perejil Island is located near the coast of Morocco.
Few people have ever set foot on Perejil Island due to its uninhabited and remote nature.
Have you ever visited Perejil Island?
Few people have ever set foot on Perejil Island due to its uninhabited and remote nature.
In 2002, a brief conflict arose over control of Perejil Island.
The sovereignty of Perejil Island has been a source of dispute between Morocco and Spain.

Surface Forms

Perejil Island main

Morphology

Perejil + island

This is a toponym formed from a proper name plus the noun 'island', so a learner who knows the constituents can readily infer it denotes an island called 'Perejil'. The specific encyclopedic details (uninhabited status, Mediterranean location, territorial dispute) are not derivable from the words, but the basic referential meaning is transparently compositional.

Etymology

Perejil Island may come from the Spanish word perejil, which means 'parsley'. One popular story says sailors saw a tiny green patch of plants on the rock that looked like a sprig of parsley in the sea, so the small, lonely island got the name and today that name fits a tiny uninhabited rock claimed by both Morocco and Spain.