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Glite Dictionary
⚔️ A historic battle 🏙️ A Cuban city
Santiago de Cuba

Santiago de Cuba

7.7
A major 1898 naval battle where the United States fleet destroyed Spain's ships in the harbor
  • proper noun
  • /sænˈtiːɑːɡoʊ deɪ ˈkuːbə/
translation icon : Santiago de Cuba
  • In 1898, the naval battle at Santiago de Cuba resulted in a dramatic defeat for the Spanish fleet.

Examples

  • The Battle of Santiago de Cuba marked a decisive victory for the United States Navy.

  • The destruction of the Spanish fleet at Santiago de Cuba effectively ended Spain's colonial rule in the Americas.

  • Many historians consider Santiago de Cuba the turning point in the Spanish-American War.

  • The Santiago de Cuba battle was a turning point in the Spanish-American War.

  • Did the Santiago de Cuba naval battle change the course of history?

  • The Battle of Santiago de Cuba was crucial in securing the victory for the United States during the Spanish-American War.

  • Historians often highlight Santiago de Cuba as a significant event that reshaped naval warfare.

Surface Forms

Santiago de Cuba main

Morphology

Santiago + de + Cuba

The name is compositionally 'Santiago' + 'de' ('of') + 'Cuba', i.e. 'Santiago of Cuba', so a learner who knows the constituents can infer it denotes a place (and by context a historical event at that place). The 'X de Y' place-name pattern is cross-linguistically common and therefore readily interpretable by B1 learners familiar with the parts.

Etymology

Santiago de Cuba is also the name used for a famous 1898 naval fight because the battle happened in the city's harbor, so people named the battle after the place. That's why 'Santiago de Cuba' can mean the naval battle where the Spanish fleet was trapped and destroyed.