Where does “Basutoland” come from?
Basutoland derives from English land, ultimately from Old English land and Proto-Indo-European lendʰ-, meaning to make level or smooth.
Ancestry of “Basutoland”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | -land | Used to form the name of a territory, country, or... |
| 2 | English | Land | The part of Earth which is not covered by oceans or other bodies of water |
| 3 | Middle English | land | Alternative form of lond; urine |
| 4 | Old English | hland | urine |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hlandą | urine |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | klān- | liquid, wet ground |