# What does Guadalcanal mean?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-guadalcanal-mean/194212>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 10, 2003, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-guadalcanal-mean/194212 "2003-08-10T16:29:23Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\
**Post date:** [August 11, 2003, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-guadalcanal-mean/194212/21 "2003-08-11T13:13:32Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by El Mariachi Loco \*  
> \*\*I took it from _Diccionario de la Lengua Española_, Real Academia Española, 19th Edition, 1972: _Guadal. Por aguadal, de aguada. Extensión de tierra arenosa,_ …et seq. as translated in my earlier post.
> 
> And on Guadalajara, **Earl** is right, according to the official city site the name is derived from Arabic “Wad-al-hidjara”, meaning water that runs through rocks, and is based on the homeland of Spanish founder Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán. \*\*

I have no argument with the meaning of “aguadal”. I am asking for a cite saying Guadalcanal is derived from that because you said

> [@](#):
>
> According to the Real Academia, it’s derived from “aguadal,”

Ok, where does the RAE say Guadalcanal is derived from “aguadal”? You cannot assume two words which sound alike have the same root because then we could say that he who assumes is an ass. Does “assume” derive from “ass”?

I am not saying it is impossible but I would be very surprised if the RAE said the ethimology of Guadalcanal is from aguadal and that is why I am asking for a cite. If you found it online please give us a link. If you have the book please cite literally.

BTW, aguadal is pretty much a dead word in Spanish. A google search produced under 50 hits and none of them use the word in the common sense, they are mainly proper names.

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**Author:** ![No\_Me\_Ayudes\_Compadre](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/no_me_ayudes_compadre/32/5224_2.png) [@No\_Me\_Ayudes\_Compadre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/No_Me_Ayudes_Compadre)\
**Post date:** [August 17, 2003, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-guadalcanal-mean/194212/22 "2003-08-17T21:27:41Z")

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I was out all week, apologies for not responding sooner.

I was providing the Academia definition for guadal, in response to Tom’s first post asking if there was such a word. For the proper name Guadalcanal, I concur that it is of Arabic origin.

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