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Read moreOne of the mysteries of the English language finally explained.
proper noun
1A land mass of the western hemisphere consisting of the continents of North and South America joined by the Isthmus of Panama.
- 1.1 Used as a name for the United States.the united states of america, the usa, the states, the land of the free, god's own countryView synonyms
- 1.1 Used as a name for the United States.
America was originally inhabited by North American Indians and Inuit peoples. The NE coastline of North America was visited by Norse seamen in the early 11th century, but for the modern world America was first reached by Christopher Columbus, who arrived in the Caribbean in 1492 and the South American mainland in 1498
Origin
The name America dates from the early 16th century and is believed to derive from the Latin form ( Americus) of the name of Amerigo Vespucci, who sailed along the west coast of South America in 1501.
