Curacoa

/ˌkjʊrəˈkoʊə/ noun

Definition

An alternative spelling of Curaçao, the Caribbean island, or the liqueur produced there.

Etymology

A variant spelling of Curaçao reflecting English orthography before the cedilla diacritical mark became standard. Different colonial powers and printers used different conventions for spelling Caribbean place names.

Kelly Says

Language had no standardized spelling until very recently—'curacoa' vs 'curacao' vs 'curaçao' represent printing choices across centuries and different countries. Modern linguists can track colonial influence by which spelling variants appear in different English-speaking regions.

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