Lisbon

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The capital and largest city of Portugal, located on the Tagus River in the western part of the country
2. Portugal's chief city and seat of government, situated on the Atlantic coast near the mouth of the Tagus estuary
3. The principal city of Portugal, positioned on hills overlooking the Tagus River in the country's southwestern region

Etymology: The city's name is a puzzle that has stumped scholars for centuries. The Romans called it Olisipo, and Pliny the Elder recorded that spelling, while Greek writers rendered it as Olissipon. A first-century Roman folk story held that the city was founded by Ulysses (Odysseus) and named after him, which is why Pomponius Mela of Hispania wrote it as Ulyssippo. Later, Visigothic-era spellings such as Ulixbona show the same legend still shaping how the name was written. The actual origin is much less certain. One proposal links the name to the pre-Roman Paleo-Hispanic word for the Tagus river, given as Lisso or Lucio, since the city sits on that estuary. A more popular modern explanation, a Phoenician phrase meaning "safe harbour," has little supporting evidence behind it. From Latin Olisipo the name passed into Arabic as lišbūna, and from there into French as Lisbonne. English took the form Lisbon from French, so the Portuguese capital's English name comes through Arabic, not directly from Latin.