montenegro

IPA/ˌmɒntɪˈniːɡrəʊ/
KK[mˌɑntənˈeɡro]IPA/ˌmɑːntəˈneɪɡrəʊ/

montenegro — noun

1. a small nation on the Balkan Peninsula in Southern Europe, with the Adriatic Sea

1.nounB1
Definition

a small nation on the Balkan Peninsula in Southern Europe, with the Adriatic Sea along its western border; it was part of a union with Serbia until 2006, when it regained its independence

Example

The travel blogger spent two weeks exploring the coast of Montenegro.

collocation: coast of Montenegro

Montenegro became an independent country again in two thousand six.

date expression: independent again in 2006

Common collocations
  • in Montenegro
  • from Montenegro
  • to Montenegro
  • the coast of Montenegro
  • the government of Montenegro

Usage Note

Unlike many country names, Montenegro does not take the article 'the' before it. Say 'in Montenegro', not 'in the Montenegro'. The adjective form is Montenegrin (e.g., 'the Montenegrin coast', 'a Montenegrin writer').

Common Mistakes

I visited the Montenegro last summer.
I visited Montenegro last summer.
Country names that end with a single word and are not a group of islands or a region do not take 'the'.

Word family

  • Montenegrin
    adjectiveB1
  • Montenegrin
    nounB1

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • the Republic of Montenegro
  • the coast of Montenegro
  • the capital of Montenegro
  • the government of Montenegro
  • the people of Montenegro

Prepositions

Etymology

VenetianItalianEnglish

The name 'Montenegro' comes from Venetian Italian 'monte negro', meaning 'black mountain'. Venetian sailors in the Middle Ages named the area after Mount Lovćen, a mountain near the coast whose dark forests appeared black from the sea. The name was later adopted into English.