Where does “China” come from?
China (German) comes from Dutch China, from Portuguese china, from Medieval Latin Sina, from Latin Sīnae, from Ancient Greek Σῖναι, from Arabic صِين, from Pahlavi čīn, from Sanskrit चीन — {{w|Qin |State of Qin}}, {{w|Qin dynasty}}; Qin.
China (German): China
Definitions
- China
Ancestry of “China”, step by step
China traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Dutch China
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dutch | China | — |
| 2 | Portuguese | china | a woman, especially one of Native American... |
| 3 | Medieval Latin | Sina | — |
| 4 | Latin | Sīnae | the Chinese, specifically |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | Σῖναι | the southern Chinese |
| 6 | Arabic | صِين | — |
| 7 | Pahlavi | čīn | — |
| 8 | Sanskrit | चीन | the Chinese people; China; a bandage for the... |
| 9 | Old Chinese | 秦 | {{w|Qin |State of Qin}}, {{w|Qin dynasty}}; Qin |
via Persian چینی
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Persian | چینی | Chinese; porcelain; china, Chinese ceramics |
| 2 | Persian | ـی | Forms nouns or adjectives from nouns; Forms... |
| 3 | Middle Persian | -yk' | — |
| 4 | Old Persian | -𐎡𐎣 | of, pertaining to, belonging to, related to |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | -kas | Creates deadjectival and desubstantival... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -ḱos | -y, -ic |