State Name Etymologies (European Languages). - Game Information

@JSEVEY:

For many PGers, this is fairly difficult. There are a lot of kids here. I try to make games of various degrees of difficulty. Some much more complex than this one, some very simple.

The reason California's etymology is uncertain is because it is not known with certainty whether it is a direct etymology of word meaning, or in reference to a mythological or fictional place. In fact, the language isn't even a "lead pipe cinch".

Spanish is the most likely language of origin,(with several possible meanings) but theories also include other languages:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._state_name_etymologies

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origin_of_the_name_California

The reason I give references is so people can track down more information. I can almost never give enough info in the short text fields allowed in the game. Anything with a complex explanation (or even just a long name) requires an abridged text.

Most people don't care about the topic: they just want to play the game. For those who do, I give them somewhere to look. Usually that's Wikipedia, which is a decent (but by no means perfect) source. Still, most Wiki articles have additional references listed.

It's not that hard. California means Paradise in Spanish.

The topic is complex. No way to do it justice with what will fit in the text field in a game clue. Names evolve over time: words shrink, or are fused. Words are dropped from phrases. Some of the names come from one language through another.

Eponymous names can be direct or indirect references. For example, Virginia (and therefore also, West Virginia) isn't named for anyone by the name of Virginia. Instead, the name refers to Elizabeth I, who never married.

I've done my best to condense things appropriately, but really, a lot is lost in the process.

More on the topic (including the map):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._state_name_etymologies

Map alone:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:US_State_Name_Etymologies4.png

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