Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Nepali” come from?

Nepali comes from Nepal, the English name for the country, with the suffix -i used in English to form adjectives and nouns relating to languages and peoples.

Nepali (English): of, from, or pertaining to Nepal, the Nepali...

Definitions

  1. of, from, or pertaining to Nepal, the Nepali...

Ancestry of “Nepali”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1English-iUsed to form adjectives and nouns describing...
2PersianـیForms nouns or adjectives from nouns; Forms...
3Middle Persian-yk'—
4Old Persian-𐎡𐎣—
5Proto-Indo-Iranian-kasCreates deadjectival and desubstantival...
6Proto-Indo-European-ḱos-y, -ic
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -ḱos →