Where does “Tajikistan” come from?
Tajikistan derives from Persian تاجیک, from Middle Persian tʾcyk', from Arabic طَيِّء, ultimately referring to a Bedouin Arab tribe.
Ancestry of “Tajikistan”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Persian | تاجیکستان | — |
| 2 | Persian | ـستان | -istan, -estan, -stan |
| 3 | Middle Persian | -stʾn' | makes nouns of places; of indeterminate function |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | stáHnam | the act of standing; position, location, place |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | stéh₂-no-m | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | steh₂- | to stand |