Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Hindustani” come from?

Hindustani derives from Hindi हिंदुस्तानी, from Persian هندوستانی combining Persian ستان meaning "land" with Middle Persian hndwk', from Sanskrit सिन्धु, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European steh₂-.

Hindustani (English): Related to India, or historically the entire...

Definitions

  1. Related to India, or historically the entire...

Ancestry of “Hindustani”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Hindiहिंदुस्तानीIndia; a person from India; a South Asian
2Urduہندوستانیof or pertaining to India; a person from India;...
3PersianهندوستانیIndian; Hindustani
4PersianهندوستانIndia
5Persianـستان-istan, -estan, -stan
6Middle Persian-stʾn'makes nouns of places; of indeterminate function
7Proto-Indo-IranianstáHnamthe act of standing; position, location, place
8Proto-Indo-Europeanstéh₂-no-m—
9Proto-Indo-Europeansteh₂-to stand
Every word from Proto-Indo-European steh₂- →