美岸
Chinese
| phonetic | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| trad. (美岸) | 美 | 岸 | |
| simp. #(美岸) | 美 | 岸 | |
| alternative forms | 密岸 密雁 維甘／维甘 | ||
| Literally: “beautiful shore”. | |||
Etymology
Possibly from Ilocano Bigan or Spanish Bigan, spelled as such in early maps like the Velarde map (1734), from Ilocano biga (“giant taro / Biga'a (Alocasia macrorrhizos)”) + -an (“locative suffix”) where Alocasia macrorrhizos plants once grew abundantly along the banks of the Mestizo River, from which Captain Juan de Salcedo derived the city's name, after a misunderstanding with the locals, thinking he was asking the name of the plants.
Pronunciation
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