Where does “sandalwood” come from?
Sandalwood derives from English sandalwood, ultimately from Arabic صَنْدَل, Latin sandalium, Ancient Greek σανδάλιον, Ancient Greek σάνδαλον, and Proto-Indo-European widʰu- and weydʰ-.
sandalwood (English): Any of various tropical trees of the genus...
Definitions
- Any of various tropical trees of the genus...
Ancestry of “sandalwood”, step by step
sandalwood traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English sandal
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | sandal | A type of open shoe made up of straps or bands... |
| 2 | Middle English | sandal | sandal, thong, slip-on; episcopal sandal, papal... |
| 3 | Old French | sandale | sandal |
| 4 | Latin | sandalium | slipper; sandal |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | σανδάλιον | sandal |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | σάνδαλον | A sandal; A flat fish similar to ψῆττα |
| 7 | Sanskrit | चन्दन | sandalwood |
| 8 | Tamil | சாந்து | Santalum tree |
via English wood
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | wood | The substance making up the central part of the... |
| 2 | Middle English | wode | madness, insanity, an overmastering emotion,... |
| 3 | Old English | wudu | wood; forest, woods; tree |
| 4 | Old English | widu | wood, forest, grove; tree; timber |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | widuz | wood |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | widʰu- | forest, wood; tree, beam |