English Channel - Name

Name

The name English Channel has been widely used since the early 18th century, possibly originating from the designation Engelse Kanaal in Dutch sea maps from the 16th century onwards. Historically, it was also been known as the British Channel. and as the British Sea and was called the Oceanus Britannicus by the 2nd-century geographer Ptolemy. The same name is used on an Italian map of about 1450, which gives the alternative name of canalites Anglie—possibly the first recorded use of the Channel designation.

The French name la Manche has been in use since at least the 17th century. The name is usually said to refer to the Channel's sleeve (French: la manche) shape. However, it is sometimes claimed to derive from a Celtic word meaning channel that is also the source of the name for the Minch in Scotland.

In Spain and most Spanish-speaking countries the Channel is referred to as el Canal de la Mancha. In Portuguese it is known as Canal da Mancha. This is not a translation from French: in Portuguese and Spanish, mancha means stain, while the word for sleeve is manga - which suggests an early phonetic bad translation from French. Other languages also use this name, such as Greek (Κανάλι της Μάγχης) and Italian (la Manica). The German name is Ärmelkanal, literally sleeve-channel.