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Definition of sao tome
sao tome
Adjective:Sao Tomean
sao tome Lexical Profile
CEFR
B2
Grade
8
Tier
3
Usage
Rare
• noun
1
The capital and largest city of the African island nation of São Tomé and Príncipe, located on the northeastern coast of São Tomé island in the Gulf of Guinea.
2
The largest and most prominent island of the nation of São Tomé and Príncipe, situated in the Gulf of Guinea off the western equatorial coast of Central Africa.
Example
"Much of the island of São Tomé is covered by dense tropical rainforests and jagged volcanic peaks."
Word Nuance & Usage
Strictly refers to the principal island or its capital city, but is frequently used in casual contexts as a shorthand for the sovereign nation of São Tomé and Príncipe. In formal writing, it is typically spelled with Portuguese diacritics (São Tomé).
• Nearby Words
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.
180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Sao tome. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 16, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/sao tome