Where does “South Islander” come from?

South Islander (English) comes from English ER, from Turkish er, from Ottoman Turkish ایر, from Old Anatolian Turkish ایر, from Proto-Turkic ēder — saddle.

South Islander (English): A person from the South Island, New Zealand

Definitions

  1. A person from the South Island, New Zealand

Ancestry of “South Islander”, step by step

South Islander traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English ER

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishERThe statistic "Earned Run"; Initialism of...
2Turkisherearly; brave; man, male
3Ottoman Turkishایرsaddle, a seat for a rider placed on the back of a horse or other animal
4Old Anatolian Turkishایرearly, at a time in advance of the usual or expected event
5Proto-Turkicēdersaddle

via English South Island

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishSouth Island
Every word from Proto-Turkic ēderEvery word from Old Anatolian Turkish ایرEvery word from Ottoman Turkish ایر