Madeira
Madeira, meaning island of the woods or forest island, is a direct Portuguese translation from the Italian “I. de Legname” of the Atlante Mediceo and various later maps, and of the “Lecname” of the unnamed Spanish friar who tells us he was born in 1305. It is sufficiently explained by the former condition of the island, the northern part of which is said to preserve still its abundant woodland. Perhaps the modern name of Madeira (or Madera) first appears on the map of Giraldi of 1426,[59] not very long after the rediscovery. But, with some cartographers, the Italian form of the name lingered on much later.
Fig. 3—Section of the Beccario map of 1426 showing St. Brendan’s Islands. (From a photograph in the author’s possession.)