name
formosa
Formosa (name) means Another name for Taiwan, an island in East Asia.
name
1
Another name for Taiwan, an island in East Asia.
"FORMOSA (TAIWAN) is an island separated from the southeast coast of China by the 121-mi.-wide Formosa strait (T’ai-wan hai-hsia) and one of a great island system rimming the western Pacific ocean."
— Norton S. Ginsburg, FORMOSA (1968)
2
The name of a synonym for Taiwan, an administrative division that includes Formosa and the islands near it.
"General Chiang Kai-Shek was also very prominent in the start of the uprising, but later defected and was forced out of the country to the Province of Formosa, now called Taiwan."
— C.M. (Bud) Fraser, Preface (1994)
"The armed forces of China have struck the rebellious province of Formosa with force. We demand your immediate and unconditional surrender. Failure to comply with this order will warrant further action by our forces."
— Caspar Weinberger, Peter Schweizer (1998)
3
A former prefecture of Fujian, China, during the Qing Empire, from 1683 to 1885.
4
The name of a Chinese province under the Qing Empire, from 1885 to 1895.
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Etymology
Came 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”) and -ōsus (“-ful”), literally “shapeful”. The Brazilian city was named in the 1840s in honour of Empress Teresa Cristina.
Rhymes for formosa
See all rhymes for formosa →Frequently asked questions
What is the meaning of formosa?
"formosa" (name) means another name for Taiwan, an island in East Asia.
What are the different meanings of formosa?
"formosa" has 3 main meanings: 1. Another name for Taiwan, an island in East Asia; 2. The name of a synonym for Taiwan, an administrative division that includes Formosa and the islands near it; 3. A former prefecture of Fujian, China, during the Qing Empire, from 1683 to 1885.
