Etymology

Angola

An·go·la
A1N1G2O1L1A1

Today it means: Synonym of angora (“type of cat”). Full definition →

Portuguese Angola ← Kimbundu ngola
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The story

  1. Kimbundungola
  2. PortugueseAngola
  3. English todayAngola

From Portuguese (Reino de) Angola (“(kingdom of) Angola”), from Kimbundu ngola, title held by native kings at the time of the Portuguese colonization in the 15th century AD. Compare Kituba ngolo (“strength”). First attested in c. 1595. The Louisiana State Penitentiary is named "Angola" after the Angola slave plantation it replaced, which was named after the country, from which many enslaved people in Louisiana had been taken.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.