Brisbane

Meanings

1. A large city, the capital city of Queensland, Australia.
2. A local government area in Queensland, the largest by population in Australia; in full, the City of Brisbane.
3. A river that flows through the city in Queensland; in full, the Brisbane River.
4. A city in San Mateo County, California, United States.

Etymology

From Scottish Gaelic bris (“break, smash”) + Old English bān (“bone”), a nickname given to someone who was often involved in fights, resulting in the breaking of bones. The city and river in Australia are named after Sir Thomas Brisbane, 1773–1860; governor of New South Wales (which at the time included the area of modern Queensland) from 1821 to 1825.