Where does “Bangladesh” come from?
Bangladesh comes from Bengali বাংলাদেশ, combining Bengali বাংলা with Sanskrit देश meaning "country," derived from Sanskrit दिश् meaning "to point or show," from Proto-Indo-Iranian dayćás and Proto-Indo-European deyḱ-.
Ancestry of “Bangladesh”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bengali | বাংলাদেশ | Bengal, Bengali region; Bengali land |
| 2 | Bengali | দেশ | country; state |
| 3 | Sanskrit | देश | point, region, spot, place, part, portion;... |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-Aryan | dayśás | point, region, part; country, province |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | dayćás | part, point; country |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | deyḱ- | to point out |