Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Palermo” come from?

Palermo, the capital of Sicily, derives from Italian Palermo, which comes from Arabic Paler'o or Palerm, possibly meaning "full harbor."

Ancestry of “Palermo”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1ItalianPalermo—
2SicilianPalermu—
3Arabicبَلَرْم—
4LatinPanormus—
5Ancient GreekΠάνορμος—
6Ancient Greekπᾰν-every; all, every
7Ancient Greekπᾶςall, every, each; whole
8Proto-Hellenic*pánts—
Every word from Proto-Hellenic *pánts →