Where does “Nil” come from?

Nil (Indonesian) comes from Arabic النِّيل, from Ancient Greek νεῖλος, from Arabic نِيل, from Persian نیل, from Arabic نيل, from Middle Persian 𐭭𐭩𐭫, from Sanskrit नील, from Proto-Indo-European neyH- — to lead.

Ancestry of “Nil”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Arabicالنِّيل
2Ancient Greekνεῖλοςriver valley
3Arabicنِيلindigo
4Persianنیلindigo
5Arabicنيلverbal noun of نَالَ; indigo; to colour indigo
6Middle Persian𐭭𐭩𐭫indigo
7Sanskritनीलof a dark color
8Proto-Indo-EuropeanneyH-to lead
Every word from Proto-Indo-European neyH-
Nil — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer