Where does “lilac” come from?
Lilac comes from French lilas, from Sanskrit नीला, meaning indigo or blue.
lilac (English): A large shrub of the genus "Syringa", especially...
Definitions
- A large shrub of the genus "Syringa", especially...
Ancestry of “lilac”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | French | lilac | archaic form of lilas |
| 2 | Arabic | لِيلَك | lilac |
| 3 | Persian | نیلک | — |
| 4 | Persian | نیل | indigo |
| 5 | Arabic | نيل | verbal noun of نَالَ; indigo; to colour indigo |
| 6 | Middle Persian | 𐭭𐭩𐭫 | indigo |
| 7 | Sanskrit | नील | of a dark color |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | neyH- | to lead |
Words derived from “lilac”