Where does “पंजाब” come from?
पंजाब (Hindi) comes from Persian پنجاب, from Persian آب, from Arabic آب, from Classical Syriac ܐܒ, from Aramaic אב, from Akkadian Abum, from Proto-Semitic ʔabw-, from Proto-Afroasiatic ʔab- — father.
Ancestry of “पंजाब”, step by step
पंजाब traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Persian پنجاب
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Persian | پنجاب | the Five Rivers |
| 2 | Persian | آب | water; liquid; juice |
| 3 | Arabic | آب | to return, to come back; to repent; to incur,... |
| 4 | Classical Syriac | ܐܒ | August |
| 5 | Aramaic | אב | absolute form of אַבָּא |
| 6 | Akkadian | Abum | Abu, the fifth month of the Babylonian calendar (approximately July-August) |
| 7 | Proto-Semitic | ʔabw- | father |
| 8 | Proto-Afroasiatic | ʔab- | father |