Montevideo (English)
Where does "Montevideo" come from?
The first part of Montevideo comes from 'monte' ('hill'), a Portuguese word inherited from Latin 'montem'[2][3], which traces back to Proto-Indo-European '*men-' ('to stand out, to tower') through Latin 'mons'[4]. The name refers to the prominent hill west of the city[1]. The origin of the second part, '-video', is far less settled. Two popular stories circulate: one reads the abbreviation MONTE-VI-D-E-O as 'sixth hill from east to west', and the other claims a Portuguese sailor shouted 'Monte vide eu'[1].
Open questions
- Explanations for the '-video' element are disputed, and the two most popular stories, the MONTE-VI-D-E-O abbreviation and the sailor's shout 'Monte vide eu', are not confirmed as the true origin. [1]
- The link between 'monte' and the Latin and Proto-Indo-European ancestors is well documented for the hill element, but it does not explain the rest of the name. [2] [3] [4]
Full etymology tree
- Montevideo (English), 'The capital city of Uruguay.'
- derived monte (Portuguese), 'mount; a mountain or large hill'
- inherited monte (Old Galician-Portuguese), 'hill'
- inherited montem (Latin), 'accusative singular of mōns'
- inherited monte (Old Galician-Portuguese), 'hill'
- derived monte (Portuguese), 'mount; a mountain or large hill'
Ancestors
- Montevideo (Spanish)
- monte (Portuguese)
Sources
- Montevideo (English) - Wiktionary
- monte (Portuguese) - Wiktionary
- monte (Old Galician-Portuguese) - Wiktionary
- mons (Latin) - Wiktionary
Updated October 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris