peninsula English · revision 1656

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /pɪˈnɪn.sjʊ.lə/, /ˈpɛn.ɪn.sjʊ.lə/ ''(UK)''; /pɪˈnɪn.s(j)ʊ.lə/ ''(US)''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|la|paeninsula|t=almost an island]],^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) [[af|la|paene|insula|t1=almost|t2=island]].^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) It is related to [[insular]] and [[isle]].^(Wiktionary)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A piece of land almost surrounded by water and joined to the mainland by a neck or isthmus (1538).^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In the 16th century the word was sometimes Englished as ''demie island''.^(Etymonline) It was extended to any piece of land projecting into the sea.^(OED 1989)^(MW Collegiate) With a capital, ''the Peninsula'' meant Spain and Portugal (1775),^(OED 1989)^(RHWU) as in the Peninsular War.^(RHWU) The adjective ''peninsular'' is recorded from 1612.^(Barnhart 1995)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1538 – a piece of land almost surrounded by water.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(MW Collegiate)

+ * 1612 – ''peninsular''.^(Barnhart 1995)

+ * 1775 – ''the Peninsula'', Spain and Portugal.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A piece of land that projects into a body of water and is joined to the mainland by an [[isthmus]].^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Any piece of land jutting out into the water.^(MW Collegiate)^(OED 1989)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(the Peninsula)'' Spain and Portugal; the [[Iberian Peninsula]].^(RHWU)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[peninsular]]

+ * [[peninsularism]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[insular]]

+ * [[insulate]]

+ * [[isolate]]

+ * [[isle]]

+ * [[isthmus]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}