Where does “New Amsterdam” come from?
New Amsterdam (English) comes from Dutch Nieuw-Amsterdam, from Dutch Amsterdam, from Middle Dutch Aemstelredam, from Dutch dam, from Middle French dame, from Spanish dama, from French dame, from Old French dame — to build; to arrange, to put together.
Ancestry of “New Amsterdam”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Dutch | Nieuw-Amsterdam | — |
| 2 | Dutch | Amsterdam | — |
| 3 | Middle Dutch | Aemstelredam | — |
| 4 | Dutch | dam | dam; king |
| 5 | Middle French | dame | dame, double checkers piece |
| 6 | Spanish | dama | lady, dame; queen |
| 7 | French | dame | A lady; A polite form of address for a woman;... |
| 8 | Old French | dame | lady; woman |
| 9 | Late Latin | domna | lady, mistress |
| 10 | Latin | domina | lady or mistress of the house |
| 11 | Latin | Dominus | the Lord; Lord; The Lord |
| 12 | Latin | domus | house, home; any building or abode; native place,... |
| 13 | Proto-Italic | domos | house, home |
| 14 | Proto-Indo-European | dṓm | home; house |
| 15 | Proto-Indo-European | dem- | to build; to arrange, to put together |