Cameroon

Cameroon · proper noun, noun¹

1. Ancient Greekκάμμαρος (kámmaros)
2. Latincammārus
3. Portuguesecamarão
4. PortugueseRio dos Camarões
5. PortugueseCamarões
6. FrenchCameroun
7. English todayCameroon

Borrowed from French Cameroun, from Portuguese Rio dos Camarões (“river of prawns”), a name given to the Wouri river estuary, in 1472 by the sailors of the Portuguese explorer Fernão do Pó (a.k.a. Fernando Pó), raving about the abundance of shrimps of the species Lepidophthalmus turneranus (the Cameroon ghost shrimp) in the river; camarão itself is from Latin cammarus (“lobster”), from Ancient Greek κάμμαρος (kámmaros, “a kind of lobster or shrimp”).

Cameroon · noun²

Alteration of Cameron, influenced by -oon.