Where does “lilac” come from?
lilac (French) comes from Arabic لِيلَك, from Persian نیلک, from Persian نیل, from Arabic نيل, from Middle Persian 𐭭𐭩𐭫, from Sanskrit नील, from Proto-Indo-European neyH- — to lead.
lilac (French): archaic form of lilas
Ancestry of “lilac”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Arabic | لِيلَك | lilac |
| 2 | Persian | نیلک | — |
| 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 |
Words derived from “lilac”