Where does “India” come from?
India derives from Old English India, from Latin India, from Ancient Greek Ἰνδία, from Ἰνδός, ultimately from Old Persian 𐏃𐎡𐎯𐎢𐏁 and Sanskrit सिन्धु referring to the Indus River.
India (English): A territory of the British Empire, chiefly comprising the modern day countries of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Burma
Definitions
- A territory of the British Empire, chiefly comprising the modern day countries of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Burma
Ancestry of “India”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old English | Indea | India |
| 2 | Latin | India | — |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | Ἰνδία | — |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | Ἰνδός | an inhabitant of India or the Indian... |
| 5 | Old Persian | 𐏃𐎡𐎯𐎢𐏁 | India; people living beyond the Indus |
| 6 | Sanskrit | सिन्धु | a river, stream; flood, waters; ocean, sea |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-Aryan | síndʰuṣ | river, ocean; flow |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | síndʰuš | river, stream |
| 9 | Sanskrit | सिन्धु॑ | — |