Where does “ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ” come from?
ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ (Dhivehi) comes from Dhivehi ދިވެހި, from Dhivehi ދޫ, from Dhivehi ވެހި, from Sauraseni Prakrit 𑀯𑀲, from Ashokan Prakrit 𑀯𑀻𑀲𑀢𑀺, from Sanskrit विंशति, from Proto-Indo-Aryan HwiHśatí, from Proto-Indo-Iranian HwiHćati — two tens; two decades; twenty; two-ten.
Ancestry of “ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ”, step by step
ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Dhivehi ދިވެހި
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dhivehi | ދިވެހި | Dhivehi, Maldivian |
| 2 | Dhivehi | ދޫ | tongue |
| 3 | Dhivehi | ވެހި | rain |
| 4 | Sauraseni Prakrit | 𑀯𑀲 | — |
| 5 | Ashokan Prakrit | 𑀯𑀻𑀲𑀢𑀺 | twenty |
| 6 | Sanskrit | विंशति | twenty, a score |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-Aryan | HwiHśatí | twenty |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | HwiHćati | twenty |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁wih₁ḱm̥t | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | dwi(h₁)dḱm̥ti | two tens; two decades; twenty; two-ten |
via Dhivehi ރާއްޖެ
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dhivehi | ރާއްޖެ | country, realm, kingdom |