proper noun · femininefirst declension
Amerī̆gē
Amerī̆gē f sg (genitive Amerī̆gēs)
Classical[a.mɛˈriː.ɡeː]Ecclesiastical[a.meˈriː.d͡ʒe]
Meaning
- America, the Americas (a supercontinent consisting of North America, Central America and South America regarded as a whole; in full, the Americas)
Nunc vero et hae partes sunt latius lustratae et alia quarta pars per Americum Vesputium (ut in sequentibus audietur) inventa est, quam non video cur quis jure vetet ab Americo inventore, sagacis ingenii viro Amerigen quasi Americi terram, sive Americam dicendam: cum et Europa et Asia a mulieribus sua sortita sint nomina.
Now, indeed, as these regions are more widely explored, and another fourth part has been discovered by Americus Vesputius, as may be learned from the following letters, I do not see why any one may justly forbid it to be named Amerige—that is, Americ’s land, from Americus, the discoverer, a man of sagacious mind, or America, since both Europe and Asia derived their names from women.1507, Martin Waldseemüller, Matthias Ringmann, chapter IX, in Cosmographiae Introductio, page 30:
Declension
| form | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | Amerī̆gē | — |
| genitive | Amerī̆gēs | — |
| dative | Amerī̆gae | — |
| accusative | Amerī̆gēn | — |
| ablative | Amerī̆gē | — |
| vocative | Amerī̆gē | — |
Origins
Coined by German cartographers Martin Waldseemüller and Matthias Ringmann in 1507 in their Cosmographiae Introductio, from a blend of Amerī̆cus (“Amerigo”) + Ancient Greek γῆ (gê, “earth, land”), literally “Land of Amerigo”.