Where does “kertas” come from?
kertas (Indonesian) comes from Malay kertas, from Arabic قِرْطَاس, from Aramaic קַרְטֵיסָא, from Ancient Greek χάρτης, from Ancient Greek χαράσσω, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰer- — to yearn for; to enclose; bowels, intestines.
kertas (Indonesian): paper
Ancestry of “kertas”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Malay | kertas | paper |
| 2 | Arabic | قِرْطَاس | paper, page |
| 3 | Aramaic | קַרְטֵיסָא | — |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | χάρτης | sheet of paper, paper; book |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | χαράσσω | to sharpen; to engrave, carve, write, draw, stamp |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰer- | to yearn for; to enclose; bowels, intestines |