Where does “玻利維亞” come from?
玻利維亞 (Chinese) comes from English Bolivia, from Spanish Bolivia, from Spanish Bolívar, from Basque Bolibar, from Basque bolu, from Latin molīnum, from Latin molīnus, from Latin mola — to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange.
Ancestry of “玻利維亞”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | Bolivia | — |
| 2 | Spanish | Bolivia | — |
| 3 | Spanish | Bolívar | — |
| 4 | Basque | Bolibar | — |
| 5 | Basque | bolu | windmill |
| 6 | Latin | molīnum | — |
| 7 | Latin | molīnus | — |
| 8 | Latin | mola | millstone; mill; ground meal |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | melh₂- | to grind, to crush |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | mel- | soft; tender; weak; to deceive; to rub |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | mey- | to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange |