Where does “Nigeria” come from?
Nigeria is a place name derived from the River Niger, with the suffix -ia from Latin, -ία from Ancient Greek, and ultimately -h₂ from Proto-Indo-European.
Ancestry of “Nigeria”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | niger | An Ethiopian herb, Guizotia abyssinica, grown for... |
| 2 | Latin | Niger | — |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | negʷ- | bare, naked |
Words derived from “Nigeria”