Where does “anil” come from?
Anil comes from Middle French anil, from Andalusian Arabic نيل, from Arabic نِيل, from Persian نیل, from Sanskrit नीला or नील, words for the indigo plant and its blue dye.
anil (English): The indigo shrub; or the indigo dye obtained from...
Definitions
- The indigo shrub; or the indigo dye obtained from...
Ancestry of “anil”, step by step
anil traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Portuguese anil
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portuguese | anil | indigo |
| 2 | Arabic | نِيل | indigo |
| 3 | Persian | نیل | indigo |
| 4 | Arabic | نيل | verbal noun of نَالَ; indigo; to colour indigo |
| 5 | Middle Persian | 𐭭𐭩𐭫 | indigo |
| 6 | Sanskrit | नील | of a dark color |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | neyH- | to lead |