Where does “Zentralasien” come from?
Zentralasien (German) comes from German zentral, from Latin centrālis, from Latin centrum, from Ancient Greek κέντρον, from Proto-Hellenic *kéntron, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱéntrom — pointed tool.
Ancestry of “Zentralasien”, step by step
Zentralasien traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via German zentral
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | zentral | central; centrally |
| 2 | Latin | centrālis | central, in the middle |
| 3 | Latin | centrum | center |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | κέντρον | Something with a sharp point: point, spike, spur;... |
| 5 | Proto-Hellenic | *kéntron | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | *ḱéntrom | pointed tool |
via German Asien
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | Asien | Asia |