Meanings
attributive Canary Island
- pluralplural onlyAn archipelago and autonomous community of Spain, off the coast of northwestern Africa, near Morocco.
Fernando Clavijo, head of the Canary Islands government, posted on X: "It is intolerable that lives continue to be lost. The Canaries cannot get used to or accept as normal the fact that the Atlantic continues to be a death trap."
2026 September 3, James Gregory, “More than 80 migrants feared dead after boat rescued off Canary Islands”, in BBC News, retrieved 03 Sep 2026Synonyms: Canaries
- pluralplural of Canary Island (“an island of the Canary Islands”)
Synonyms & antonyms
proper nounAn archipelago and autonomous community of Spain, off the coast of northwestern Africa, near Morocco.
Origin
- LatinCanāriae Īnsulae
- EnglishCanary Islands
Partial calque of Spanish Islas Canarias, itself likely a partial calque, with the plural of isla (“island”), of Latin Canāriae Īnsulae (literally “Islands of the Dogs”), from the feminine plural of canārius (“of or pertaining to dogs”) + the plural of īnsula f (“island”). Perhaps so named because monk seals or sea dogs were abundant, a name that was evidently generalized from the ancient name of one of these islands, Canaria – presumably Gran Canaria. According to the historian Pliny the Elder, the island Canaria contained “vast multitudes of dogs of very large size”. The connection to dogs is retained in the autonomous community’s coat of arms, which is also included in its flag. The canary was named after the islands, not vice versa.
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic الجُزُرُ الخَالِدَات, جُزُر اَلْكَنَارِيَّة
- الجُزُرُ الخَالِدَات (al-juzuru l-ḵālidāt)an archipelago off the coast of north-western Africa
- جُزُر اَلْكَنَارِيَّة (juzur al-kanāriyya)an archipelago off the coast of north-western Africa
- جُزُر اَلْكَنَارِي (juzur al-kanārī)an archipelago off the coast of north-western Africa
Basque Kanariak, Kanaria uharteak
- Kanariakan archipelago off the coast of north-western Africa
- Kanaria uharteakan archipelago off the coast of north-western Africa
Catalan Illes Canàries
- Illes Canàriesan archipelago off the coast of north-western Africa
Chinese Mandarin 加那利群島 /加那利群岛
- 加那利群島 /加那利群岛 (Jiānàlì qúndǎo)an archipelago off the coast of north-western Africa
Danish De kanariske Øer
- De kanariske Øeran archipelago off the coast of north-western Africa
Dutch Canarische Eilanden
- Canarische Eilandenan archipelago off the coast of north-western Africa
Esperanto Kanarioj
- Kanariojan archipelago off the coast of north-western Africa
Estonian Kanaari saared
- Kanaari saaredan archipelago off the coast of north-western Africa
Finnish Kanariansaaret
- Kanariansaaretan archipelago off the coast of north-western Africa
French îles Canaries, Canaries
- îles Canariesan archipelago off the coast of north-western Africa
- Canariesan archipelago off the coast of north-western Africa
German Kanarische Inseln, Kanaren
- Kanarische Inselnan archipelago off the coast of north-western Africa
- Kanarenan archipelago off the coast of north-western Africa
- Glückliche Inseln hinter dem Windean archipelago off the coast of north-western Africa
Greek Κανάριοι Νήσοι, Κανάρια Νησιά
- Κανάριοι Νήσοι (Kanárioi Nísoi)an archipelago off the coast of north-western Africa
- Κανάρια Νησιά (Kanária Nisiá)an archipelago off the coast of north-western Africa
Hebrew האיים הקנריים
- האיים הקנריים (ha'i'ym ha'qanari'ym)an archipelago off the coast of north-western Africa
Hungarian Kanári-szigetek
- Kanári-szigetekan archipelago off the coast of north-western Africa
Icelandic Kanaríeyjar
- Kanaríeyjaran archipelago off the coast of north-western Africa
Irish Oileáin Chanáracha
- Oileáin Chanárachaan archipelago off the coast of north-western Africa
Italian Isole Canarie
- Isole Canariean archipelago off the coast of north-western Africa
Japanese カナリア諸島
- カナリア諸島 (Kanaria-shotō)an archipelago off the coast of north-western Africa
Korean 카나리아 제도
- 카나리아 제도 (Kanaria jedo)an archipelago off the coast of north-western Africa
Latin Canāriae Īnsulae, Fortūnātae Īnsulae
- Canāriae Īnsulaean archipelago off the coast of north-western Africa
- Fortūnātae Īnsulaean archipelago off the coast of north-western Africa
- Canāriaean archipelago off the coast of north-western Africa
Norwegian Bokmål Kanariøyene
- Kanariøyenean archipelago off the coast of north-western Africa
Polish Wyspy Kanaryjskie, Kanary
- Wyspy Kanaryjskiean archipelago off the coast of north-western Africa
- Kanaryan archipelago off the coast of north-western Africa
Portuguese Ilhas Canárias, Canárias
- Ilhas Canáriasan archipelago off the coast of north-western Africa
- Canáriasan archipelago off the coast of north-western Africa
Romanian Insulele Canare
- Insulele Canarean archipelago off the coast of north-western Africa
Russian Кана́рские острова́, Кана́ры
- Кана́рские острова́ (Kanárskije ostrová)an archipelago off the coast of north-western Africa
- Кана́ры (Kanáry)an archipelago off the coast of north-western Africa
Spanish Islas Canarias, Canarias
- Islas Canariasan archipelago off the coast of north-western Africa
- Canariasan archipelago off the coast of north-western Africa
Swahili Visiwa vya Kanari
- Visiwa vya Kanarian archipelago off the coast of north-western Africa
Swedish Kanarieöarna
- Kanarieöarnaan archipelago off the coast of north-western Africa
Welsh Ynysoedd Dedwydd
- Ynysoedd Dedwyddan archipelago off the coast of north-western Africa
Cite this entry
Canary Islands. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Canary%20Islands
“Canary Islands.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Canary%20Islands. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Canary Islands,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Canary%20Islands.
Source: Canary Islands on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.