Word of the Day

: August 14, 2009

El Dorado

noun el-duh-RAH-doh

What It Means

1 : a city or country of fabulous riches held by 16th century explorers to exist in South America

2 : a place of fabulous wealth or opportunity

El Dorado in Context

"To outsiders, California’s Silicon Valley looks like a contemporary El Dorado." (Time Magazine, Sept. 3, 1984)

Did You Know?

In the early 1500s, Spanish conquistadores heard tales of an Amazonian king who regularly coated his body with gold dust, then plunged into a nearby lake to wash it off while being showered with gold and jewels thrown by his subjects. The Spaniards called the city ruled by this flamboyant monarch "El Dorado," Spanish for “gilded one,” and the story of the gold-covered king eventually grew into a legend of a whole country paved with gold. These days, “El Dorado” can also used generically for any place of vast riches, abundance, or opportunity. It is also the name of actual cities in Arkansas and Kansas.