Where does “Chinese” come from?
Chinese (Dutch) comes from Dutch Chinees, from Dutch -ees, from Old French -eis, from Vulgar Latin -iscus, from Latin -ensis, from Latin arvum, from Latin colō, from Latin quelō — to turn.
Chinese (Dutch): woman from China
Definitions
- woman from China
Ancestry of “Chinese”, step by step
Chinese traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Dutch Chinees
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dutch | Chinees | Chinese; A Chinese person; A Chinese or... |
| 2 | Dutch | -ees | -ese: Used to form adjectives and nouns... |
| 3 | Old French | -eis | used to form nationalities; used to form names of... |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | -iscus | -ish |
| 5 | Latin | -ensis | Of or from |
| 6 | Latin | arvum | field; farm land |
| 7 | Latin | colō | to cultivate the land, till, tend, take care of a field or garden |
| 8 | Latin | quelō | — |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | kʷelō | to inhabit |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷéleti | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷel- | to turn |
via Dutch e
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dutch | e | — |