Etymology Explorer › Chinese

Where does “塔利班” come from?

塔利班 (Chinese) comes from English Taliban, from Pashto طالبان, from Arabic طالب, from Arabic طَلَبَ, from Arabic ل, from Proto-Semitic *lV-.

Ancestry of “塔利班”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishTalibanA Taliban militia; A member of the Taliban...
2Pashtoطالبانstudents, seekers
3Arabicطالبseeker, pursuer; student, scholar; claimant
4Arabicطَلَبَto demand, ask, beg; to seek, to request, etc
5Arabicلto, for, belonging to; لَـ •; Used to express...
6Proto-Semitic*lV-—
Every word from Proto-Semitic *lV- →