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colombo

UK/kəˈlɒm.bəʊ/UK/kəˈlʌm.bəʊ/UK, also/ˈkɒl.əm.bəʊ/

proper noun

What it means

  1. The commercial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka.

    From this height, Colombo does not look like a mess. It sleeps in shadows decorated with trees and lights.

    2022, Shehan Karunatilaka, The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, Sort Of Books, page 266
  2. metonymicallyThe Sri Lankan government.

In a sentence

From this height, Colombo does not look like a mess. It sleeps in shadows decorated with trees and lights.

2022, Shehan Karunatilaka, The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, Sort Of Books, page 266

Where it comes from

  1. Sinhaleseකොලොන් තොට
  2. PortugueseColombo
  3. EnglishColombo

From Portuguese Colombo, modification (under the influence of the Italian surname, see below) of Sinhalese කොලොන් තොට (kolon toṭa, literally “port on the river Kelani”). Other theories derive the name from Veddah; see w:Colombo § Etymology for more.

Full entry for colombo →

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