Hobson-Jobson: A Glossary of Colloquial Anglo-Indian Words and Phrases, and of Kindred Terms, Etymological, Historical, Geographical and Discursive c10.9048

c10.9048

1563.—“*R.* Though it be somewhat to interrupt the business in hand,—why is that chain of islands called ‘Islands of Maldiva’? *O.* In this matter of the nomenclature of lands and seas and kingdoms, many of our people make gerat mistakes even in regard to our own lands; how then can you expect that one can give you the rationale of etymologies of names in foreign tongues? But, nevertheless, I will tell you what I have heard say. And that is that the right name is not *Maldiva*, but *Nalediva*; for *nale* in Malabar means ‘four,’ and *diva* ‘island,’ so that in the Malabar tongue the name is as much as to say ‘Four Isles.’ . . . And in the same way we call a certain island that is 12 leagues from Goa *Angediva* (see ANCHEDIVA), because there are five in the group, and so the name in Malabar means ‘Five Isles,’ for *ange* is ‘five.’ But these derivations rest on common report, I don’t detail them to you as demonstrable facts.”—*Garcia, Colloquios*, f. 11.