Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Yemen” come from?

Yemen derives from Arabic اَلْيَمَن, from Proto-Semitic yamīn-, from Proto-Afroasiatic yamin-, with the original meaning uncertain.

Ancestry of “Yemen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Arabicاَلْيَمَن—
2Proto-Semiticyamīn-right, right hand; a side, boundary or district;...
3Proto-Afroasiaticyamin-right hand

Words derived from “Yemen”

  • Yemeni
  • Yemenite
  • Yemeniness
  • Yeaman
  • য়েমেন
Every word from Proto-Afroasiatic yamin- →