venezuelan
/ven.ɪˈzweɪ.lən/
[vˌɛnɪzwˈelən]/ven.əˈzweɪ.lən/
Word family
- Venezuelanoun (proper)A2
Etymology
ItalianSpanishEnglish
The country Venezuela was named by early European explorers who saw houses built on stilts over Lake Maracaibo and were reminded of Venice, Italy — they called the area 'Veneziola', meaning 'little Venice' in Italian. From this, Venezuelan came to describe anything or anyone from that country.
First known use
1811
1811, in the meaning defined above