Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Algeria” come from?

Algeria comes from Arabic al-jazāʾir, the plural of jazīrah meaning "island," referring to the islands off the North African coast.

Ancestry of “Algeria”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishAlger—
2Middle EnglishAlger—
3Middle Dutchâelgêer—
4Middle Dutchgêer—
5Old Dutchgēr—
6Proto-West Germanicgaiʀspear
7Proto-Germanicgaizazspear, pike, javelin
8Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰoysósthrowing spear
9Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰey-winter

Words derived from “Algeria”

  • Algerian
  • Algerine
  • 阿爾及利亞
  • আলজেৰিয়া
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰey- →