Where does “Gauteng” come from?
Gauteng derives from Sotho kgauta, a word of unknown meaning that was adopted into English as a provincial place name in South Africa.
Gauteng (English): A colloquial name for the city of Johannesburg
Definitions
- A colloquial name for the city of Johannesburg
Ancestry of “Gauteng”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Sotho | iGauteng | — |
| 2 | Sotho | gauta | — |
| 3 | Afrikaans | goud | gold; made out of gold; golden, gold-coloured |
| 4 | Dutch | goud | gold; or, gold |
| 5 | Middle Dutch | gout | gold |
| 6 | Old Dutch | golt | gold |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | gulþą | gold |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰl̥tóm | gold |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰelh₃- | to flourish; green, yellow |