Where does “Himalayas” come from?
Himalayas derives from Sanskrit हिमालय, from Sanskrit हिम meaning "snow," from Proto-Indo-Iranian ȷ́ʰimás, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰéyōm, from the root ǵʰey-.
Ancestry of “Himalayas”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Sanskrit | हिमालय | The Himalayas, the Central Asian mountain range;... |
| 2 | Sanskrit | हिम | cold, frost; the cold season, winter; frost,... |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-Aryan | źʰimás | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | ȷ́ʰimás | cold, frost; winter |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰéyōm | winter; year; frost, snow |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -ōm | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -mi | — |