Where does “インド象” come from?

インド象 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 象, from Middle Chinese 象, from Old Chinese 象 — elephant.

インド象 (Japanese): an Indian elephant

Definitions

  1. an Indian elephant

Ancestry of “インド象”, step by step

インド象 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese 象

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese象elephant; likeness, appearance
2Middle Chinese象elephant; image, resemblance
3Old Chinese象elephant

via Japanese インド

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1JapaneseインドIndia
2Chinese印度—
Every word from Old Chinese 象 →Every word from Middle Chinese 象 →Every word from Japanese 象 →