Vasco Núñez de Balboa

9.9

A Spanish explorer who crossed the narrow land between the oceans and is the first European to see the Pacific

proper noun

: Vasco Núñez de Balboa

In 1513, Vasco Núñez de Balboa crossed the Isthmus of Darien.

Examples

The expedition led by Vasco Núñez de Balboa reached the Pacific Ocean in 1513.
Students learned about Vasco Núñez de Balboa and his journey across the Isthmus of Darien in history class.
Many historians consider Vasco Núñez de Balboa a pivotal figure in the Age of Exploration.
Did Vasco Núñez de Balboa discover the Pacific Ocean?
Many historians consider Vasco Núñez de Balboa a pivotal figure in the Age of Exploration.
Students learned about Vasco Núñez de Balboa and his journey across the Isthmus of Darien in history class.
The expedition led by Vasco Núñez de Balboa reached the Pacific Ocean in 1513.

Synonyms

Balboa

vsVasco Núñez de Balboa

1 8.9

Spanish explorer who first led Europeans across Panama to see the Pacific Ocean

is the full formal name rather than the shorter form

Surface Forms

Vasco Núñez de Balboa main

Morphology

Vasco + Núñez + de + Balboa

This is a personal name composed of proper nouns (and a Spanish preposition) whose historical referent and biographical meaning cannot be derived from the constituent parts. Knowing 'de' or the name elements does not enable a B1 learner to infer that this is a 16th-century Spanish explorer who crossed the Isthmus of Darien, so the expression is opaque.

Etymology

Vasco Núñez de Balboa was a Spanish explorer who crossed the narrow land between two seas and climbed a hill in 1513 to look out and see the huge Pacific Ocean. Because he was the first European to reach and see that ocean from the American side, he is remembered as 'the first European to see the Pacific'.