Sao Tiago Island

6.8

A large island in Cape Verde in the Atlantic with towns, volcanic hills, and colonial buildings

proper noun

: isla de Santiago

We spent a week exploring Sao Tiago Island, taking in its colonial architecture and volcanic landscapes.

Examples

The capital city of Cape Verde, Praia, is located on Sao Tiago Island.
I visited Sao Tiago Island last summer.
Many immigrants from Sao Tiago Island have made significant contributions to communities abroad.
Have you ever been to Sao Tiago Island?
The capital city of Cape Verde, Praia, is located on Sao Tiago Island.
We spent a week exploring Sao Tiago Island, taking in its colonial architecture and volcanic landscapes.
Many immigrants from Sao Tiago Island have made significant contributions to communities abroad.

Synonyms

Santiago

vsSao Tiago Island

1 3.3

The largest island of Cape Verde in the Atlantic Ocean

highlights varied landscapes and historic importance beyond just being the largest

Surface Forms

Sao Tiago Island main

Morphology

Sao + Tiago + island

Only the noun 'island' is compositionally transparent, so a learner who knows 'island' can infer this is the name of an island; however 'Sao Tiago' are proper-name elements that do not convey the specific referent or properties (e.g., largest of Cape Verde) and are arbitrary across languages. Because part of the meaning is clear but the full referent and attributes are not derivable from the constituents, the expression is best classified as partially transparent.

Etymology

Sao Tiago Island comes from early Portuguese sailors who named the island after the saint 'Saint James', because 'Sao Tiago' is the Portuguese form of that name. That simple image of a saint on old maps helps explain the island's Portuguese past and makes the name easier to remember.