Where does “Monterrey” come from?
Monterrey derives from Spanish Monterrey, from Galician Monterrei, combining Galician monte and Old Portuguese rei, ultimately from Latin montem and mons, both meaning "mountain," traced to Proto-Indo-European men-.
Ancestry of “Monterrey”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Spanish | Monterrey | — |
| 2 | Galician | Monterrei | — |
| 3 | Galician | rei | king |
| 4 | Old Portuguese | rei | king |
| 5 | Latin | regem | accusative singular of rēx |
| 6 | Latin | rex | king, ruler; despot, tyrant; king |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | rēks | king |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃rḗǵs | king, ruler |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃reǵ- | to straighten, to right oneself; right; just |