Formosa
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Formosa¹
- /fɔːˈməʊ.sə/ UK
- /fəˈməʊ.sə/ UK
- /fɔɹˈmoʊ.sə/ US
- /fɔɹˈmoʊ.zə/ US
Rhymes with -əʊsə
Where it comes from
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.
proper noun
-
Synonym of Taiwan: an island of East Asia.
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
Similar: Taiwan
- A prefecture of Fujian, China (Qing Empire) (1683–1885).
- A province of China (Qing Empire) (1885–1895). A new broom is not more active for reform than this new governor-general is in the new province of Formosa.
- A dependency of Japan (1895–1945). 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.
- A province of Taiwan (Republic of China) (from 1945). 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 serv
- A claimed province of China (People's Republic of China or mainland China) (from 1949). 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.'
- A city in Goiás, Brazil.
- An island of the Bissagos Islands, Guinea-Bissau.
Formosa²
Where it comes from
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.
proper noun
- A city in northern Argentina.
- A department of Argentina around the city.
- A province of Argentina around the city.
Formosa³
Where it comes from
Borrowed from Maltese Formosa.
proper noun Formosas
- A surname from Maltese.
Translations
Talk about this word "Formosa." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/formosa. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. Formosa. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/formosa "Formosa." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/formosa.Cite this
@misc{formosa_2026,
title = {Formosa},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/formosa},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
