Where does “Eritrea” come from?
Eritrea (Italian) comes from Latin Erythraea, from Ancient Greek Ἐρυθραία, from Ancient Greek Ἐρυθραῖος, from Ancient Greek Ἐρυθραί, from Ancient Greek ἐρυθρός, from Proto-Hellenic *erutʰrós.
Ancestry of “Eritrea”, step by step
Eritrea traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Latin Erythraea
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | Erythraea | the territory of Erythrae, Beotia |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | Ἐρυθραία | Erythraea or Eritrea |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | Ἐρυθραῖος | — |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | Ἐρυθραί | Erythrae; Ildırı, Turkey |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | ἐρυθρός | reddish, red |
| 6 | Proto-Hellenic | *erutʰrós | — |
via Italian eritreo
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italian | eritreo | Erythraean of or relating to the Erythraean Sea |
| 2 | Latin | erythraeus | reddish |