Formosa

See also: formosa

English

Etymology

From Portuguese Ilha Formosa (“Beautiful Isle”), from formosa (“beautiful”), from Latin fōrmōsus (“beautifully formed”), from fōrma (“form, shape”) + the adjective suffix -ōsus (“full of”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /fɔːˈməʊ.sə/

• Audio (Berkshire, England)

  (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /fɔɹˈmoʊ.sə/, /fɔɹˈmoʊ.zə/
• Rhymes: -əʊsə

Proper noun

Formosa

1. The island of Taiwan

   Synonym: Taiwan

   • 1625, Samuel Purchas, Pvrchas His Pilgrimes‎^[1], volume I, London, OCLC 219967499, page 652:

     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.

   • 1669, Nievhoff, John, John Ogilby, transl., An Embassy from the Eaſt-India Company of the United Provinces, to the Grand Tartar Cham Emperour of China‎^[2], London: John Macock, OCLC 561227535, page 16:

     The Iſland Formoſa, or the fair Iſland doth alſo belong to this Province ; as likewiſe the near adjacent Iſland called Teiwan, which the Hollanders poſſeſs, who have built a Fort there called new Zealand.

   • 1684, A New and Particular Relation of the Kingdom of Tunquin‎^[3], page 57:

     THE Iſland of Formoſa is about Eighty Leagues in compaſs ; ſo that the Hollanders were never in poſſeſſion of the whole Iſland, but were onely Maſters of four Fortreſſes, and two and fifty Villages, wherein they could number about fourteen or fifteen thouſand Inhabitants.

   • 1950 September 1, Truman, Harry S., MP72-73 Korea and World Peace: President Truman Reports to the People‎^[4], Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives Identifier: 595162, 3:42 from the start:

     We do not want Formosa or any part of Asia for ourselves. We believe that the future of Formosa should be settled peacefully by international action.

   • 1960, Presidential Candidates Debate‎^[5], 56:02 from the start:

     These two islands are in the area of freedom. The Nationalists have these two islands. We should not force our Nationalist allies to get off of them and give them to the Communists. If we do that, we start a chain reaction, because the Communists aren't after Quemoy and Matsu, they're after Formosa.

   • 1963, Dwight Eisenhower, Mandate for Change 1953-1956‎^[6], Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company, LCCN 63-18447, OCLC 64309101, page 168:

     The developing scene had ominous aspects. The Chinese Communists were constantly threatening aggressive action against Formosa and the government of Chiang Kai-shek. Ever since World War II, the United States had recognized the strategic necessity of maintaining the integrity of the Western Pacific island chain, including Formosa as one of its principal links. Our readiness to go to the defense of that island, if it were attacked, had been announced as a governmental policy before I was inaugurated, and I had personally emphasized the importance of this island's safety to our nation's security.

2. A province in northern Argentina.
3. A city in Argentina, capital of Formosa Province.

Derived terms

• Formosan

Descendants

• Translingual: Oncomelania hupensis formosana

Translations

Taiwan island

• Bulgarian: Формо́за f (Formóza)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 寶島 (bou²dou²), 東番 (Dung¹fān¹)

  Mandarin: 宝岛 (zh) (Bǎodǎo), 东番 (Dōngfān)

  Min Nan: 寶島 (zh-min-nan) (Pó-tó)

• Dutch: Formosa (nl) n
• Esperanto: Formozo
• Finnish: Formosa (fi)
• French: Formose (fr) f

• German: Formosa n
• Irish: Formósa m
• Japanese: フォルモサ (Forumosa)
• Korean: 포르모자 (Poreumoja)
• Marathi: फोर्मोजा (phormojā)
• Polish: Formoza (pl) f
• Portuguese: Formosa (pt) f
• Russian: Формо́за (ru) f (Formóza)
• Swedish: Formosa (sv)

Taiwan — see Taiwan

Further reading

• “Formosa” in the Collins English Dictionary
• “Formosa, pn.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–present.
• Formosa at OneLook Dictionary Search
• “Formosa”, in Merriam–Webster Online Dictionary.
• “Formosa” in TheFreeDictionary.com, Huntingdon Valley, Pa.: Farlex, Inc., 2003–2022.

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Finnish

Proper noun

Formosa

1. (dated) Formosa (old name of Taiwan)

Declension

Inflection of Formosa (Kotus type 10/koira, no gradation)
nominative		Formosa	—
genitive		Formosan	—
partitive		Formosaa	—
illative		Formosaan	—
		singular	plural
nominative		Formosa	—
accusative	nom.	Formosa	—
	gen.	Formosan
genitive		Formosan	—
partitive		Formosaa	—
inessive		Formosassa	—
elative		Formosasta	—
illative		Formosaan	—
adessive		Formosalla	—
ablative		Formosalta	—
allative		Formosalle	—
essive		Formosana	—
translative		Formosaksi	—
instructive		—	—
abessive		Formosatta	—
comitative		—	—

Possessive forms of Formosa (type koira)
possessor	singular	plural
1st person	Formosani	Formosamme
2nd person	Formosasi	Formosanne
3rd person	Formosansa

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Maltese

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Proper noun

Formosa

1. A surname​.

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Portuguese

Alternative forms

• Ilha Formosa

Etymology

From formosa (“beautiful”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): (Brazil) /foʁˈmɔ.zɐ/, [foɦˈmɔ.zɐ]

• IPA^(key): (Brazil) /foʁˈmɔ.zɐ/, [foɦˈmɔ.zɐ]
  • IPA^(key): (São Paulo) /foɾˈmɔ.zɐ/, [foɾˈmɔ.zɐ]
  • IPA^(key): (Rio de Janeiro) /foʁˈmɔ.zɐ/, [foʁˈmɔ.zɐ]

• IPA^(key): (Portugal) /fuɾˈmɔ.zɐ/, [fuɾˈmɔ.zɐ]

• (South Brazil) IPA^(key): /foɻ.ˈmɔ.za/
• Homophone: formosa
• Hyphenation: For‧mo‧sa

Proper noun

Formosa f

1. Formosa, Taiwan (an island of Taiwan in the Pacific)

   Synonym: Taiwan

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Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /foɾˈmosa/, [foɾˈmo.sa]

• Audio (Peru)

  (file)

Proper noun

Formosa ?

1. Formosa (province)

Derived terms

• formoseño