Where does “λιλά” come from?
λιλά (Greek) comes from French lilas, from French lilac, from Arabic لِيلَك, from Persian نیلک, from Persian نیل, from Arabic نيل, from Middle Persian 𐭭𐭩𐭫, from Sanskrit नील — to lead.
λιλά (Greek): lilac, mauve
Ancestry of “λιλά”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | French | lilas | lilac |
| 2 | French | lilac | archaic form of lilas |
| 3 | Arabic | لِيلَك | lilac |
| 4 | Persian | نیلک | — |
| 5 | Persian | نیل | indigo |
| 6 | Arabic | نيل | verbal noun of نَالَ; indigo; to colour indigo |
| 7 | Middle Persian | 𐭭𐭩𐭫 | indigo |
| 8 | Sanskrit | नील | of a dark color |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | neyH- | to lead |