A legendary island or group of islands believed by medieval cartographers to exist west of Europe, often depicted on maps despite having no real geographical basis.
From Spanish 'Antilla,' possibly derived from Arabic 'al-andalus' or from a Taíno word meaning 'land of high waters.' The term evolved from mythical geography into the modern name for the Antilles islands of the Caribbean, though the original antilia referred to a phantom landmass.
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