Campo

Campo is a word with multiple uses in Romance languages and in toponymy. In Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese, campo means “field” or “open ground,” and it functions as a common noun as well as a component in place names. The term derives from Latin campus and is cognate with the French champ, among other Romance-language equivalents.

As a geographic name, Campo appears in many countries, often in forms such as Campo Grande or simply Campo. Notable examples include Campo Grande, the capital of the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul, and Campo, California, an unincorporated community in San Diego County.

In everyday language, campo denotes a field, countryside, or playing area. In sports contexts in Spanish- or Portuguese-speaking regions, it can refer to a field or pitch (campo de juego, campo de futebol). In Italian, campo santo is a cemetery. The term also appears in various compound names and local designations that reflect landscape features or historical uses of land.

Campo is also used as a surname in Italian and Spanish-speaking communities, where it is found among individuals and families with ties to those linguistic regions. The word remains common in both everyday speech and geographic naming, reflecting its broad semantic reach from open land to place identity.