Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Alicante” come from?

Alicante derives from Spanish Alicante, from Andalusian Arabic اَللَقَنْت, from Latin Lucentum meaning "shining place," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European lewk- meaning "to shine."

Ancestry of “Alicante”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1SpanishAlicante—
2Arabicاَلقَنْت—
3LatinLucentum—
4Ancient Greekλευκόςbright, shining, gleaming; light in color; white;...
5Proto-Hellenic*leukós—
Every word from Proto-Hellenic *leukós →