Where does “Ceylon” come from?
Ceylon comes from Portuguese Ceilão, from Ancient Greek Σελεδίβα, from Pali sīeḷedīva, a word for the island known today as Sri Lanka.
Ceylon (English): Short for Ceylon tea
Definitions
- Short for Ceylon tea
Ancestry of “Ceylon”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portuguese | Ceilão | Ceylon |
| 2 | Old French | Seilan | — |
| 3 | Persian | سیلان | flow; flux |
| 4 | Pali | sīhaḷa | Sinhalese |
| 5 | Sanskrit | सिंहल | the island of Sri Lanka; name of a man; Sri... |
| 6 | Sanskrit | सिंह | the lion; the zodiacal sign Leo or its lagna;... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-Aryan | sinźʰás | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | sinȷ́ʰás | lion |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | *sinǵʰós- | — |