Editing Krakatoa (section)

== Etymology ==
One of the earliest mentions of the name Krakatoa is in the [[Old Sundanese language|Old Sundanese]] text [[Bujangga Manik]], which was probably written in western Java in the late 15th century. Here Krakatoa is referred to as "the island of Rakata, a mountain in the middle of the sea" (''pulo Rakata gunung ti tengah sagara'', f. 27v).<ref>{{cite book
  | last1 =Noorduyn
  | first1 =J.
|last2 = Teeuw
|first2 = A.
  | publisher= KITLV Press
| location=Leiden
  | title = Three Old Sundanese Poems
  | year =2006
}}</ref> Although there are earlier descriptions in European sources of an island in the Sunda Strait with a "pointed mountain," the earliest mention of Krakatoa by name in the [[western world]] was on a 1611 map by [[Lucas Janszoon Waghenaer]], who labelled the island "Pulo Carcata" (''pulo'' is the [[Sundanese language|Sundanese]] word for "island"). About two dozen variants have been found, including ''Crackatouw,'' ''Cracatoa,'' and ''Krakatao'' (in an older [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]]-based spelling). The first known appearance of the spelling ''Krakatau'' was by [[Wouter Schouten]], who passed by "the high tree-covered island of Krakatau" in October 1658.{{sfn|Winchester|2003|p=27}}

The origin of the Indonesian name ''Krakatau'' is uncertain. The main theories are:
* From [[Sanskrit]] ''karka'' or ''karkaṭa'' or ''karkaṭaka,'' meaning "lobster" or "crab". The abbreviated form ''rakaṭa'' also means "crab" in the [[Kawi language|Old Javanese]] language. The fact that the earliest recorded mentions of the word closely resemble the pronunciation of these words for crab (''rakata'' in ''Bujangga Manik'' and ''carcata'' in Waghenaer's map) makes this Sanskrit etymology the most likely origin of the word.{{sfn|Winchester|2003|p=27}}
* [[Onomatopoeia]], imitating the noise made by [[cockatoo]]s (''Kakatoes'') which used to inhabit the island. However, Van den Berg points out that these birds are found only in the "eastern part of the archipelago" (meaning the [[Lesser Sundas]], east of Java, on the other side of the [[Wallace Line]]).{{Citation needed|date=August 2012}}
* The closest [[Malay language|Malay]] word is ''kelakatu,'' meaning "white-winged ant". [[Furneaux Group|Furneaux]] points out that in pre-1883 maps, Krakatoa does somewhat resemble an ant seen from above, with Lang and Verlaten lying to the sides like wings.{{Citation needed|date=August 2012}}
* Van den Berg (1884) recites a story that ''Krakatau'' was the result of a linguistic error. According to the legend, a visiting ship's captain asked a local inhabitant the island's name, and the latter replied, "''Kaga tau''" (''Aku enggak tahu'')—a [[Jakarta]]n/Betawinese slang phrase meaning "I don't know". This story is largely discounted; it closely resembles other linguistic myths about the origin of the word [[Kangaroo#Terminology|kangaroo]] and the name of the [[Yucatán Peninsula#Etymology|Yucatán Peninsula]].

The [[Smithsonian Institution]]'s [[Global Volcanism Program]] cites the Indonesian name, ''Krakatau,'' as the correct name, but says that ''Krakatoa'' is often employed.<ref name="smithsonian"/><ref>Note: This spelling has been attributed to a sub-editor at ''[[The Times]]'' (who may have typographically swapped the 'a' and 'o' of the Portuguese spelling) interpreting [[telegraph]]ic reporting on the massive eruption of 1883.</ref>{{sfn|Winchester|2003|p=183}}