peninsula

peninsula — noun

1. a stretch of land with water around most of it that remains attached to the main

1.nounB2
Definition

a stretch of land with water around most of it that remains attached to the mainland, often by a narrow neck

Example

From the hill, we could see the narrow peninsula reaching into the blue sea.

shape and direction into the sea

Their hotel stood on a quiet peninsula between the lake and river.

pattern: on a peninsula

Common collocations
  • narrow peninsula
  • rocky peninsula
  • small peninsula
  • peninsula coast
  • peninsula town
Synonyms
  • headland

    usually a smaller piece of coastal land, often high or steep

  • cape

    often a pointed stretch of land reaching into the sea

  • promontory

    a more formal word, often for high land above the water

Grammar Patterns

a peninsula

on the peninsula

the [Name] Peninsula

Usage Note

Usually used for real places on maps or in travel and geography writing, often after 'on' or in proper names such as 'the Iberian Peninsula'. Distinguish from an island, which is fully surrounded by water.

Common Mistakes

Taiwan is a peninsula.
Taiwan is an island.
a peninsula is still attached to a larger piece of land.
The village is in the peninsula.
The village is on the peninsula.
English usually uses 'on' for this landform.

Word family

  • peninsular
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

For noun sense 1, a peninsula is land that nearly sits in water but still joins the mainland. An island is different because water surrounds it completely. A cape is usually narrower and more pointed, often named as a tip of land rather than a large region people live across. A headland is often smaller too, and it commonly suggests high ground above the sea. So size and connection matter: Italy is a peninsula, not an island; the end of a coastal cliff may be a headland; and a sharp point on the coast may be called a cape. If a map shows one land mass still attached to a larger one, peninsula is the safest word.

peninsula ↗island ↗cape ↗headland ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • peninsula coast
  • peninsula road
  • peninsula town
  • peninsula region

Phrases

  • the Korean Peninsula
  • the Iberian Peninsula
  • a narrow peninsula
  • a rocky peninsula

Prepositions

  • on the peninsula
  • off the peninsula

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Peninsula came into English through French from a Latin word built from paene, meaning 'almost', and insula, meaning 'island'. The history matches the meaning closely: a peninsula is land that is almost an island, but not fully cut off by water.