What does "saipan" mean?
An island, the capital of the Northern Mariana Islands.
name ·Rare ·Advanced level
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"Theſe Iſlands were diſcovered by Magellan in the year 1521 ; and by the account given of the two he firſt fell in with, it ſhould ſeem that they were the Iſlands of Saypan and Tinian ; for they are deſcribed in his expedition as very beautiful Iſlands, and as lying between 15 and 16 degrees of North latitude. Theſe characteriſtics are particularly applicable to the two above mentioned places ; for the pleaſing appearance of Tinian hath occaſioned the Spaniards to give it the additional name of Buenaviſta ; and Saypan, which is in the latitude of 15° : 22' North, affords no contemptible proſpedt when ſeen from the ſea, as may be ſufficiently evinced from the annexed view of its North Weſt ſide, taken at three leagues diſtance."
"Theſe Iſlands were diſcovered by Magellan in the year 1521 ; and by the account given of the two he firſt fell in with, it ſhould ſeem that they were the Iſlands of Saypan and Tinian ; for they are deſcribed in his expedition as very beautiful Iſlands, and as lying between 15 and 16 degrees of North latitude. Theſe characteriſtics are particularly applicable to the two above mentioned places ; for the pleaſing appearance of Tinian hath occaſioned the Spaniards to give it the additional name of Buenaviſta ; and Saypan, which is in the latitude of 15° : 22' North, affords no contemptible proſpedt when ſeen from the ſea, as may be ſufficiently evinced from the annexed view of its North Weſt ſide, taken at three leagues diſtance."
An island, the capital of the Northern Mariana Islands.
Theſe Iſlands were diſcovered by Magellan in the year 1521 ; and by the account given of the two he firſt fell in with, it ſhould ſeem that they were the Iſlands of Saypan and Tinian ; for they are deſcribed in his expedition as very beautiful Iſlands, and as lying between 15 and 16 degrees of North latitude. Theſe characteriſtics are particularly applicable to the two above mentioned places ; for the pleaſing appearance of Tinian hath occaſioned the Spaniards to give it the additional name of Buenaviſta ; and Saypan, which is in the latitude of 15° : 22' North, affords no contemptible proſpedt when ſeen from the ſea, as may be ſufficiently evinced from the annexed view of its North Weſt ſide, taken at three leagues diſtance.
Pronounced /saɪˈpæn/.
From Chamorro Saipan. A folk etymology connects it with the Carolinian for “empty place”.