Pleasant Island
- proper noun
:
Isla Placentera
- In the nineteenth century, Pleasant Island was the name commonly used for what we now call Nauru.
Examples
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The phosphate-rich soil of Pleasant Island attracted mining companies in the early twentieth century.
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Explorers regarded Pleasant Island as a strategic stopover in the Pacific region.
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Many tourists visit Pleasant Island for its beautiful beaches.
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Have you ever heard of Pleasant Island?
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In the nineteenth century, Pleasant Island was the name commonly used for what we now call Nauru.
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Explorers regarded Pleasant Island as a strategic stopover in the Pacific region.
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The phosphate-rich soil of Pleasant Island attracted mining companies in the early twentieth century.
Synonyms
3
6.8
A small island country in the central Pacific Ocean
A small island country in the central Pacific Ocean southwest of Hawaii
A very small island country in the Pacific Ocean that earns most of its money from phosphate mining
Surface Forms
Morphology
Pleasant + island
This toponym is transparently compositional: 'pleasant' (agreeable, nice) + 'island' (land surrounded by water) yields the straightforward meaning 'an island that is pleasant.' A B1 learner who knows both constituents will understand it as a descriptive place-name even if they do not know it refers specifically to Nauru.
Etymology
Pleasant Island was the name given by early European visitors who found the place beautiful and the people friendly, so an explorer called it 'pleasant'. That's why Pleasant Island was once the common name for what we now call Nauru.