I have read that the Açor, or goshawk, which does not exist in the Azores, was mistaken for the Milhafre, or buzzard, which is plentiful in the Azores and resembles a hawk (they are both birds of prey with talons and sharp beaks). Apparently the goshawk was plentiful in the hills and mountains of Belmonte, from where Gonçalo Velho Cabral came, for there was a tiny chapel inthe hills surrounding Belmonte dedicated to Nossa Senhora do Açores, which pre-dated the discovery of the islands, and the Velho Cabrals were the chapel's patrons, or so I have read.
From: Joao S. Lopes <[email protected]> To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, May 6, 2011 7:27 AM Subject: Re: [AZORES-Genealogy] Azores etymology I picked this from wikipedia, and sounds interesting. What's the meaning of Açores? Açor in Portuguese is the name of one species of hawk (usually explained from Latin accipiter), but there's no hawk in Azores. An alternative explanation is that Azores was a corruption of Italian azorres, modern Italian azurra "blue", meaning the Blue Islands. Joao S. Lopes -- To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. Follow the confirmation directions when they arrive. For more options, such as changing to List, Digest, Abridged, or No Mail (vacation) mode, log into your Google account and visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Azores. Click in the blue area on the right that says "Join this group" and it will take you to "Edit my membership." -- To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. Follow the confirmation directions when they arrive. For more options, such as changing to List, Digest, Abridged, or No Mail (vacation) mode, log into your Google account and visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Azores. Click in the blue area on the right that says "Join this group" and it will take you to "Edit my membership."
