Where does “Portugal” come from?
Portugal (Cebuano) comes from Portuguese Portugal, from Middle English Portyngale, from Middle French Portingal, from Latin Portucale, from Latin Portus Cale, from Latin Portus, from Proto-Italic portus, from Proto-Indo-European pértus — passed , crossed.
Ancestry of “Portugal”, step by step
Portugal traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Portuguese Portugal
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portuguese | Portugal | — |
| 2 | Middle English | Portyngale | — |
| 3 | Middle French | Portingal | — |
| 4 | Latin | Portucale | Portugal |
| 5 | Latin | Portus Cale | Oporto |
| 6 | Latin | Portus | ” or, later, “Portus Rōmae”}} Portus large artificial harbour of Ancient Rome |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | portus | harbour |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pértus | crossing |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |
via Spanish Portugal
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spanish | Portugal | Portugal |