The Straight Dope: Why was America named after Amerigo Vespucci?

[Send questions for Cecil Adams: cecil@straightdope.com](mailto:cecil@straightdope.com) FOLLOW CECIL ADAMS ON [TWITTER]( AND [FACEBOOK](! [940916.gif] THREADSPOTTING: THE BEST OF THE STRAIGHT DOPE MESSAGE BOARD — 10/11/2019 Fly me to the moon … or maybe, Mars? [Click here]( for more. STRAIGHT DOPE CLASSIC #1 — 09/16/1994 Dear Cecil: We all know that America was named for Amerigo Vespucci. What does Amerigo mean in Italian? — Dave Curwin, Newton, Massachusetts Cecil replies: What do you mean, what does it mean in Italian? What does Dave mean in English? Amerigo by Vespucci’s day was an established if not especially common name whose original meaning, it is safe to say, had long been forgotten. AV apparently got it for no more profound reason than that it was his grandfather’s name. Since you asked, there are a couple of theories on the name’s origin. [Click here]( for more. STRAIGHT DOPE STAFF REPORT — 10/25/2001 Dear Straight Dope: What's the truth about the origin of the term "American Indian"? Schoolchildren have long been taught that Columbus thought he had reached the Indies, and therefore called the inhabitants "Indians." But lately I've been hearing the story that: (a) The Indies weren't even called the Indies at the time, but Hindustan; (b) Columbus didn't call the locals "Indians" but referred to them as "una geste in Dios", meaning "a people in God"; (c) somehow this caused people in Spain to start using the term "Indians"; and (d) Europeans then started using the geographical term "Indies" through back-formation. This explanation sounds like wishful thinking to me, with (c) and (d) particularly hard to swallow. Yet I've seen this stated as fact on some Indian Web sites, and it's doubtless being taught as fact in some schoolrooms. Is it possible to find the truth in this matter? — Steven Doyle, Atlanta, Georgia SDStaff Colibri replies The best way to determine the truth in cases like this, Steve, is to go to the source–in this case, Columbus’s original letter, through which word of the new lands and their inhabitants was disseminated throughout Europe (see links below). In this letter Columbus repeatedly refers to India and Indians, and says nothing whatever about “a people in God.” First, let’s get the supposed phrase right. [Click here]( for more. STRAIGHT DOPE CLASSIC #2 — 09/06/1991 Dear Cecil: In a recent review of Thomas Laqueur's Making Sex I read that Renaldus Columbus discovered the clitoris in 1559. I can't make sense of this. Wasn't it right under his nose the whole time, so to speak? Who discovered the penis? And who was Renaldus Columbus, anyway? Any relation to Chris? — Mark Lutton, Malden, Massachusetts Cecil replies: You haven’t grasped the totality of this, Mark. Renaldus was born in 1516. Can you imagine a guy who proclaims to the world his discovery of the clitoris … at age 43? Incidentally, he apparently died that same year. Too bad. They say his wife was about to broach the subject of foreplay. But seriously. [Click here]( for more. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [View this message as a webpage](. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. To advertise on The Straight Dope, contact Rich Hummel at rhummel@suntimes.com [Privacy Policy/Terms of Use]( • [Unsubscribe]( © 2019 Straight Dope, LLC. 30 N Racine Ave. Suite 300, Chicago, IL 60607 [910628.gif]