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Glite Dictionary
Tagus River

Tagus River

1 3.8
The longest river in Spain and Portugal that flows into the Atlantic Ocean
  • proper noun
: río Tajo
  • PHOTO (COLOR): The sixteenth-century Sao Juliao da Barra fortress guards the mouth of the Tagus River, the entry point to Lisbon Harbor.

Examples

  • The Tagus River flows through some of Spain's most beautiful landscapes, making it a popular destination for tourists.

  • Many ancient civilizations thrived along the banks of the Tagus River, which is the longest river on the Iberian Peninsula.

  • There, between cell bars and the armpits of guards, they watched the Tagus River rise and fall against the stone wall.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • After a heavy storm forced another ship from the fleet aground, the captain decided to head for the mouth of the Tagus River, hoping to escape the tempest in the calmer waters of the estuary.

    Academic text (2003)

  • The Tagus River runs through Lisbon before reaching the Atlantic Ocean, providing stunning views for those on its banks.

Synonyms

Tagus
vsTagus River
1 6.9

A large river in Spain and Portugal that flows to the Atlantic

emphasizes being the longest river on the Iberian Peninsula

Surface Forms

Tagus River main

Morphology

Tagus + river

This is a straightforward toponym composed of the proper name 'Tagus' and the generic noun 'river'; if a learner knows both constituents they can infer it denotes a specific river (and, given the definition of 'Tagus', its geographic identity). The 'Name + river' naming pattern is cross-linguistically common and follows normal compositional semantics, making it immediately comprehensible to learners who know the parts.

Etymology

Tagus River may come from an old name used by Romans and Greeks for this great river. People kept using that name for many years, so today Tagus River is the name of the long river that flows through Spain and Portugal.