Where does “Urdu” come from?
Urdu comes from Persian اردو, which derives from Proto-Turkic ordu, originally meaning a military camp or encampment.
Urdu (English): Modern Standard Urdu, an Indo-Aryan language with...
Definitions
- Modern Standard Urdu, an Indo-Aryan language with...
Ancestry of “Urdu”, step by step
Urdu traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Urdu اردو
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Urdu | اردو | of or pertaining to the Urdu language; army, army... |
| 2 | Serbo-Croatian | trk | run, running |
| 3 | Proto-Slavic | tъrkъ | run, sprint |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | tŕ̥kʷ-os | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | terkʷ- | to turn, spin |
via Persian اردو
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Persian | اردو | horde; camping; army |
via Hindustani اُرْدُو
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hindustani | اُرْدُو | — |