Big Sur en · PROPN
Pronunciation
- /ˌbɪɡ ˈsɜː(ɹ)/
- (US) audio
Etymology
Shortening and partial calque of Spanish el país grande del sur (“the big country of the south”).
Meanings
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A rugged and mountainous section of the Central Coast of California.
Big Sur simply did not lend itself to the massive settlement that characterized the rest of California. Following the gold discoveries of 1849, California's population exploded under the onslaught of miners, merchants, and camp-followers.
1979, Donald G. Pike, Big Sur, KC Publications, →ISBN, page 12: