Cayo Hueso

B

BBGirl

Senior Member

English American

• Jan 42011

• #1

I understand that Key West is called Cayo Hueso in Spanish. It looks like it means "falling bones" but that sounds funny. Could you tell me the actual meaning?

Many thanks,
BB

 

Pinairun

Senior Member

País VascoEspaña

Castellano

• Jan 42011

• #2

No"cayo" means key: Key Bone.

Don't get "cayo/key" mixed up with "cayó/caer=fell/to fall)

 

J

jorgema

Senior Member

Nueva YorkEEUU

Peruvian Spanish

• Jan 42011

• #3

Cayo is "key" a type of island. SoCayo Hueso is like "the key of bone". Maybe the English explorers changed the Spanish "hueso" into "West" (it sounds similar).

 

B

BBGirl

Senior Member

English American

• Jan 42011

• #4

Thank you so much!
So does "cayo" just mean "island"? Is there any difference between "cayo" and "isla"?

BB

 

M

Moritzchen

Senior Member

Los AngelesCA

SpanishUSA

• Jan 42011

• #5

Cayo Hueso es el nombre original dado por los conquistadores españoles. Luego fue "traducido" a Key West.
From Merriam-Webster:
noun
Definition of KEY: a low island or reef; specifically : any of the coral islets off the southern coast of Florida
Origin of KEY
Spanish cayo, from Taino First Known Use: 1697
And "hueso" because it seems it was full of bones.
Here´s some info.

 

Last edited: Jan 42011

G

ghmono

New Member

Mexico

Spanish

• Jan 42011

• #6

Cayo le llaman a las piedras que sobresalen en el mar. Podría decirse de una isla pequeña.

 

M

Moritzchen

Senior Member

Los AngelesCA

SpanishUSA

• Jan 42011

• #7

cayo.
(De or. antillano).

1. m. Cada una de las islas rasasarenosasfrecuentemente anegadizas y cubiertas en gran parte de manglemuy comunes en el mar de las Antillas y en el golfo mexicano.
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