2006-09-27 09:36:27 · 11 answers · asked by sassymona38 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
Some suggest that the word California may signify that a place is "hot as an oven" (cali > hot, fornia > oven). It may be derived from caliente fornalia, Spanish for hot furnace, or it may come from calida fornax, Latin for hot climate.
2006-09-27 09:39:51 · answer #1 · answered by I I 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
California means in Spanish the same as in English; there is not a clear origin of where the name came from. There are some ideas of where the word may have developed, this is a very interesting one:
"In the minds of European explorers, California existed as an idea before it was ever discovered. The earliest known mention of the idea of California was in the 1510 romance novel Las Sergas de Esplandián by Spanish author García Ordóñez de Montalvo. The book described the Island of California as being west of the Indies, "very close to the side of the Terrestrial Paradise; and it is peopled by black women, without any man among them, for they live in the manner of Amazons." Equally important is that this island, inhabited by black women, was in the imagination of Spaniards. The Island was ruled by Queen Califia." Hernán Cortez send various expeditions in search of this "Amazon island" where women were supposed to live all alone without any men; the explorers got confused and thought that the peninsula was actually an island.
Remember that America was a new world for these expeditioners and they were prone to believe in fantastic treasures; remember El Dorado?
2006-09-27 12:17:00 · answer #2 · answered by jenny 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Me and a co-worker just talked about it and were both Latinas. But California doesn't mean anything in Spanish. It's just a word.
2006-09-27 10:09:58 · answer #3 · answered by Susa 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It may be derived from caliente fornalia, Spanish for hot furnace, or it may come from calida fornax, Latin for hot climate.
2006-09-27 10:43:41 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Nothing. It's a Portugues word. BYE!
2006-09-27 09:39:30 · answer #5 · answered by Federico B 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i do speak spanish but california doesn't mean anything in spanish !! lol sorry
2006-09-27 09:38:17 · answer #6 · answered by yerem.kanar 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In Greek they use " CALI " , alot , which means nice !
Example : Calithea . Calimera , etc .
I hope that any Greek , come and help us about that .
2006-09-27 09:44:49 · answer #7 · answered by citizen high 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's just a name that I know of.
2006-09-27 09:38:42 · answer #8 · answered by Art The Wise 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Home...Place to immigrate!!!
2006-09-27 09:43:46 · answer #9 · answered by -------- 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origin_of_the_name_California
no exacty answer to this question.. look here..
2006-09-27 09:46:03 · answer #10 · answered by limgrn_maria 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋