name
Columbus
kuh-LUHM-buhs
name
1
Christopher Columbus, the Italian explorer whose 1492 voyage across the Atlantic opened up European contact with the Americas.
"Columbus set sail from Spain believing he would reach Asia."
2
The capital city of the U.S. state of Ohio.
"She moved to Columbus for a new job downtown."
noun
1
Informally, a person credited with a bold new discovery.
"Reporters called the young scientist "a modern-day Columbus" for his find."
How to Use Columbus
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishBest known as the explorer's name and as a US city name.
Word Forms
Columbused past tense, Columbuses plural, Columbuses singular
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_____ set sail from Spain believing he would reach Asia.
Etymology
From Latin columbus, "dove," the family name of Italian explorer Christopher Columbus, who gave his name to several places and figures of speech.