Libya

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A sovereign country in North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north
2. A nation located in the northern part of the African continent, characterized by vast deserts and ancient history
3. An Arab country known for its rich cultural heritage and historical significance in the Mediterranean region

Etymology: The name Libya is one of the oldest geographical names in the Western world, and the Greeks applied it long before any modern state existed. In Ancient Greek, "Libúē" originally referred to the broad region of North Africa west of Egypt, a territory the Greeks knew only vaguely, and the name was used for the continent's northern coast and its interior rather than for any single political unit. The word passed into Latin as "Libya," which the Romans used for the same wide stretch of land, and English borrowed it from that Latin form. It has been recorded in English since the 16th century, when the name was used for the African lands the Mediterranean world had known for centuries. The Greek origin of the name itself remains uncertain, so the word is best understood as a classical inheritance that English took directly from Latin.

Synonyms: Libyan state, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya