Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Kota Bharu” come from?

Kota Bharu (English) comes from Malay Kota Bharu, from Malay kota, from Classical Malay kota, from Tamil கோட்டம், from Tamil கோடு, from Old Tamil 𑀓𑁄𑀝𑀼, from Proto-Dravidian *kōṭu.

Ancestry of “Kota Bharu”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1MalayKota Bharu—
2Malaykotacity
3Classical Malaykotacity
4Tamilகோட்டம்division; city, town; place; crookedness
5Tamilகோடு—
6Old Tamil𑀓𑁄𑀝𑀼—
7Proto-Dravidian*kōṭu—
Every word from Proto-Dravidian *kōṭu →