San Juan Islands

[ san wahn ahy-luhndz, hwahn ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

plural noun

a group of islands in Washington State that lie between the northwest coast of Washington and the southernmost part of Canada’s Vancouver Island.

San Juan Islands

/ sæn ˈwɑːn; ˈhwɑːn /

plural noun

a group of islands between NW Washington, US, and SE Vancouver Island, Canada: administratively part of Washington

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Word History and Origins

Origin of San Juan Islands¹

First recorded in 1865–70; originally named Isla y Archiepelago de San Juan (“Island and Archipelago of St. John”) in 1791 by Francisco de Eliza y Reventa (1759–1825), Spanish naval officer, navigator, and explorer

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Example Sentences

Karen Fisher lives on Lopez Island, one of the San Juan Islands in Puget Sound outside Seattle.

From The Daily Beast

In front of city lie San Juan Islands; fishing craft may be seen.

From Project Gutenberg

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