Etymology

Easter Island

Today it means: An island in the South Pacific, belonging to Chile and famous for its moai monuments. Full definition →

Dutch Paaseiland
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The story

  1. Dutch · calque ofPaaseiland
  2. English todayEaster Island

Calque of Dutch Paaseiland. Named by the island's first recorded European visitor, the Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen, who encountered it on Easter Sunday 1722. Roggeveen named it Paasch-Eyland (an 18th century Dutch spelling). The island's official Spanish name, isla de Pascua, also means “Easter Island”.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.