Lake Geneva - Name

Name

The first recorded name of the lake is Lacus Lemannus from Roman times; Lemannus comes from Ancient greek Limanos, Limènos Limne Λιμένος Λίμνη meaning port's lake; it became Lacus Lausonius, although this name was also used for a town or district on the lake, Lacus Losanetes and then the Lac de Lausanne in the Middle Ages. Following the rise of Geneva it became Lac de Genève (translated into English as Lake Geneva). In the 18th century, Lac Léman was revived in French and is the customary name in that language. In contemporary English, the name Lake Geneva is predominant. A note on pronunciation:

English: Lake Geneva /ˌleɪk dʒɨˈniːvə/

French: Lac Léman or Lac de Genève

German: Genfersee or Genfer See

Italian: Lago Lemano, Lago di Ginevra .