Where does “Nusantara” come from?
Nusantara (Indonesian) comes from Old Javanese antara, from Sanskrit अन्तर, from Sanskrit अन्तरा, from Sanskrit आ, from Sanskrit धा, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰaH-.
Ancestry of “Nusantara”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old Javanese | antara | — |
| 2 | Sanskrit | अन्तर | being in the interior, interior; near, proximate,... |
| 3 | Sanskrit | अन्तरा | in the middle, between; among |
| 4 | Sanskrit | आ | separated form of आ-; With senses determined by... |
| 5 | Sanskrit | धा | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | *dʰaH- | — |