Formosa

Formosa · proper noun¹

1. Latin · derived fromfōrmōsus“beautiful, well-formed”
2. Portuguese · borrowed fromFormosa
3. English todayFormosa

From Portuguese Formosa, as in Ilha Formosa (literally “Beautiful Island”) and Vila Formosa da Imperatriz (literally “Beautiful Town of the Empress”), from formosa (“beautiful, shapely”), from Latin fōrmōsus (“beautiful, well-formed”), from fōrma (“shape”) + -ōsus (“-ful”), literally “shapeful”. The Brazilian city was named in honor of Empress Teresa Cristina, in the 1840s.

Formosa · proper noun²

1. Latin · derived fromformosa
2. Old Spanish · derived fromfermosa
3. Spanish · borrowed fromFormosa
4. English todayFormosa

From Spanish Formosa, from Vuelta la Formosa and Vuelta Fermosa (“Beautiful Turn”) in reference to a bend in the Paraguay River near the city, from Old Spanish fermosa, from Latin formosa.

Formosa · proper noun³

1. Maltese · borrowed fromFormosa
2. English todayFormosa

Borrowed from Maltese Formosa.

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from mid 20th c. A claimed province of China (People's Republic of China or mainland China) (from 1949).