Van Diemen's Land

/væn ˈdiːmənz ˌlænd/

proper noun

The former name (until 1856) of the then-British colony and current state of Australia now known as Tasmania.

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Meanings

proper noun
  1. The former name (until 1856) of the then-British colony and current state of Australia now known as Tasmania.

    Let it ſuffice to inform him, that in our Paſſage from thence to the Eaſt-Indies, we were driven by a violent Storm to the Northweſt of Van Diemen's Land.

    1726 October 28, [Jonathan Swift], “The Author Gives Some Account of Himself and Family, His First Inducements to Travel. […]”, in Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. […] [Gulliver’s Travels], volume I, London: […] Benj[amin] Motte, […], →OCLC, part I (A Voyage to Lilliput), page 5

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
tasmania

Origin

After the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies Anthony van Diemen, who sent Abel Tasman on the voyage on which Tasman discovered the island.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish Van Diemenin maa
  • Van Diemenin maaformer name of Tasmania
French terre de Van Diemen
  • terre de Van Diemenformer name of Tasmania
German Vandiemensland
  • Vandiemenslandformer name of Tasmania
Hungarian Van Diemen-föld
  • Van Diemen-földformer name of Tasmania
Polish Ziemia van Diemena
  • Ziemia van Diemenaformer name of Tasmania
Portuguese Terra de Van Diemen
  • Terra de Van Diemenformer name of Tasmania
Cite this entry
APA

Van Diemen's Land. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Van%20Diemen's%20Land

MLA

“Van Diemen's Land.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Van%20Diemen's%20Land. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Van Diemen's Land,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Van%20Diemen's%20Land.

Source: Van Diemen's Land on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.