Bjørnøya

Norwegian Nynorsk

Alternative forms

Etymology

Definite form; from bjørn (“bear”) +‎ øy (“island”). The island in the Svalbarg archipelago is a calque of Dutch Bereneiland, named by Willem Barents in 1596 after he saw a polar bear swimming by the island. Compare Faroese Bjarnoyggin, Bjarnoy, Icelandic Bjarnarey, Swedish Björnön, and Danish Bjørneøen.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /²bjœrnœʏːa/, /²bjœnːœʏːa/

Proper noun

Bjørnøya f (indefinite Bjørnøy)

  1. a common island name, found various places across Norway
  2. Bear Island (an island of Svalbard, Norway)
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