The Spanish Main
Preserved but no longer current.
Properly, the northern coast of South America, going westward from the mouth of the Orinoco to the Isthmus of Panama, or a bit farther; the wwz/w-land bordering the Caribbean Sea, called by the Spanish conquerors Tierra Firme.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “The Spanish Main” mean?
Properly, the northern coast of South America, going westward from the mouth of the Orinoco to the Isthmus of Panama, or a bit farther; the wwz/w-land bordering the Caribbean Sea, called by the Spanish conquerors Tierra Firme.
Is “The Spanish Main” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.