Pago Pago
1
7.4
- proper noun
- /ˈpɑːɡoʊ ˈpɑːɡoʊ/
- This past summer, an e-mail message reached my office in Honolulu from a friend in Pago Pago, on Tutuila Island, American Samoa.
Examples
-
A renowned Samoan climber named Ielu left his young wife and family on Upolu Island and, like Malua, traveled to Pago Pago to seek his fortune.
Academic text (2005) -
He died on September 5, 1923, at the Naval Hospital in Pago Pago, and was buried in the cemetery of strangers, Polynesian style.
Academic text (2005) -
I had been conducting an archaeological survey not far from Pago Pago when I stumbled upon his grave in a neglected cemetery.
Academic text (2005) -
This past summer, an e-mail message reached my office in Honolulu from a friend in Pago Pago, on Tutuila Island, American Samoa.
-
I had been conducting an archaeological survey not far from Pago Pago when I stumbled upon his grave in a neglected cemetery.
-
He died on September 5, 1923, at the Naval Hospital in Pago Pago, and was buried in the cemetery of strangers, Polynesian style.
Synonyms
1
8.0
The main port and capital of American Samoa on the island of Tutuila
Surface Forms
Morphology
Pago + Pago
Pago Pago is a reduplicated toponym (a proper name) whose literal parts are not English lexical items here and provide no compositional clue to the meaning 'capital and chief port of American Samoa'. Knowing the constituent tokens would not allow a B1 learner to infer the geopolitical referent or function of the place, so the expression must be learned as an arbitrary name.
Etymology
Pago Pago may come from the Samoan name for the place and one idea is that it described the deep, sheltered bay where many small boats gather, like a calm natural harbor full of life. That's why the name now refers to the town that is the island's capital and main port.