Bahia Blanca

1 6.7

A port city in Argentina on the Atlantic coast southwest of Buenos Aires

proper noun

: bahía blanca

She traveled from Buenos Aires to Bahia Blanca to visit the historic port district.

Examples

Many cargo ships dock at Bahia Blanca before continuing their journey along the coast.
Exports of agricultural goods pass through the busy harbor at Bahia Blanca each year.
I visited Bahia Blanca last summer.
Have you ever been to Bahia Blanca?
Many cargo ships dock at Bahia Blanca before continuing their journey along the coast.
Exports of agricultural goods pass through the busy harbor at Bahia Blanca each year.
She traveled from Buenos Aires to Bahia Blanca to visit the historic port district.

Surface Forms

Bahia Blanca main

Morphology

Bahia + Blanca

This is a toponym of Spanish origin whose constituents literally mean 'white bay' (bahía blanca), so a learner who knows the constituent words could infer a coastal inlet or port. However, the expression refers to a specific city in Argentina and the constituents are foreign-language items in English orthography, so the precise referent and location are not fully derivable from the parts.

Etymology

The place name Bahia Blanca comes from Spanish and means 'White Bay'. Early sailors saw bright white salt and sand along the harbor, so they called the bay Bahia Blanca, and the city by that port kept the name.