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Formosa
Definitions
- 1 Synonym of Taiwan: an island of East Asia. dated
"Heere we had the higheſt Land of Formoſa, South-eaſt, the neereſt land about eight leagues off, the neather point of it Eaſt by North ten leagues off our depth, fortie ſixe fathomes ozie : the latitude twentie fiue degree twentie minutes. From the high Land of Formoſa, ſtretcheth out a lower Land to the water-ſide, being a white ſandy ſhoare, and ſmooth ſand Hils farther vp the Countrey, much like to the Coaſt of Barbary."
- 2 A city in northern Argentina.
- 3 A surname from Maltese.
- 4 Synonym of Taiwan: an administrative division including Formosa and nearby islands.; A prefecture of Fujian, China (Qing Empire) (1683–1885). historical
- 5 A department of Argentina around the city.
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- 6 Synonym of Taiwan: an administrative division including Formosa and nearby islands.; A province of China (Qing Empire) (1885–1895). historical
"A new broom is not more active for reform than this new governor-general is in the new province of Formosa."
- 7 A province of Argentina around the city.
- 8 Synonym of Taiwan: an administrative division including Formosa and nearby islands.; A dependency of Japan (1895–1945). historical
"Except for the relatively unimportant Ryukyu Islands, which were acquired earlier, Formosa is Japan's oldest colony. She acquired it out of her war with China in 1894, and during recent years was believed to have fortified it heavily."
- 9 Synonym of Taiwan: an administrative division including Formosa and nearby islands.; A province of Taiwan (Republic of China) (from 1945). dated
"Economically, the island is already far better off (with massive American aid) than it would be if it were incorporated into Communist China, and it would be better off still (and less of a burden to the American taxpayer) if its people were not required to support two governments and two civil services—one for the Chinese mainland, and the other for the province of Formosa—and an army of more than half a million, whose raison d’étre continues to be the reconquest of the mainland."
- 10 Synonym of Taiwan: an administrative division including Formosa and nearby islands.; A claimed province of China (People's Republic of China or mainland China) (from 1949). dated
"If we should propose an exchange of ambassadors, Mao Tse-tung would surely ask if our recognition extended to Communist sovereignty over the 'Province of Formosa.'"
- 11 A city in Goiás, Brazil.
- 12 An island of the Bissagos Islands, Guinea-Bissau.
Etymology
From Portuguese Formosa, as in Ilha Formosa (literally “Beautiful Island”) and Vila Formosa da Imperatriz (literally “Beautiful Town of the Empress”), from formosa (“beautiful, shapely”), from Latin fōrmōsus (“beautiful, well-formed”), from fōrma (“shape”) + -ōsus (“-ful”), literally “shapeful”. The Brazilian city was named in honor of Empress Teresa Cristina, in the 1840s.
From Spanish Formosa, from Vuelta la Formosa and Vuelta Fermosa (“Beautiful Turn”) in reference to a bend in the Paraguay River near the city, from Old Spanish fermosa, from Latin formosa.
Borrowed from Maltese Formosa.
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