Peninsula
From Nordan Symposia
Jump to navigationJump to searchThe printable version is no longer supported and may have rendering errors. Please update your browser bookmarks and please use the default browser print function instead.
Etymology
Latin paeninsula, from paene almost + insula island
- Date: 1538
Definition
- a portion of land nearly surrounded by water and connected with a larger body by an isthmus; also : a piece of land jutting out into the water whether with or without a well-defined isthmus
Description
In many Germanic languages, peninsulas are called "half-islands". A peninsula can also be a headland (head), cape, island promontory, bill, point, or spit. Note that a point is generally considered a tapering piece of land projecting into a body of water that is less prominent than a cape.
