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Glite Dictionary
Monterey Bay

Monterey Bay

3.0
A bay on California's central coast that has many sea animals and beautiful views
  • proper noun
  • /ˌmɒntəˈreɪ beɪ/
translation icon : bahía de Monterey
  • Each summer, tourists flock to Monterey Bay for whale watching and kayaking adventures.
  • Monterey Bay Aquarium

Examples

  • The marine sanctuary in Monterey Bay is home to hundreds of unique animal species.

  • I visited Monterey Bay last summer.

  • Researchers at the aquarium study the delicate ecosystem of Monterey Bay year-round.

  • The views of Monterey Bay are breathtaking.

  • This June, no one needed satellite tracking to find whales in Monterey Bay, California.

  • The marine biologists at the Monterey Bay Aquarium conduct important research on ocean ecosystems.

  • Visitors can enjoy breathtaking views while kayaking in Monterey Bay and observing marine wildlife.

Surface Forms

Monterey Bay main

Morphology

Monterey + bay

The compound is compositionally built from a place name plus a geographic noun: knowing 'Monterey' (a coastal town) and 'bay' (a coastal inlet) allows a learner to infer it refers to the inlet by Monterey. This place-name + feature pattern is cross-linguistically common and therefore immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner who knows both constituents.

Etymology

Monterey Bay was named by Spanish explorers for a Spanish noble; the parts Monte and Rey mean 'mountain' and 'king', so you can think of it as 'king's mountain'. The name was first used for a nearby hill and then stayed with the bay on the California coast, which is why the bay is called Monterey Bay today.