Where does “Rumi” come from?
Rumi derives from Malay Rumi, borrowed from Persian رومی, which comes from Middle Persian 𐭧𐭫𐭥𐭬𐭠𐭣𐭩𐭪, ultimately denoting association with Rome or Roman lands.
Ancestry of “Rumi”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Malay | Rumi | — |
| 2 | Persian | رومی | Roman; Byzantine; Greek |
| 3 | Middle Persian | 𐭧𐭫𐭥𐭬𐭠𐭣𐭩𐭪 | Greek, Byzantine, Roman |
| 4 | Middle Persian | 𐭧𐭫𐭥𐭬 | Rome; Byzantine |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | Ῥωμανία | — |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | -ῐ́ᾱ | {{l|en|-ia}}; "suffix forming abstract feminine... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -íh₂ | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -h₂ | Creates collective nouns, which refer to groups... |