Where does “ポルトガル” come from?
ポルトガル (Japanese) comes from Portuguese Portugal, from Middle English Portyngale, from Middle French Portingal, from Latin Portucale, from Latin Portus Cale, from Latin Portus, from Proto-Italic portus, from Proto-Indo-European pértus — passed , crossed.
Ancestry of “ポルトガル”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portuguese | Portugal | — |
| 2 | Middle English | Portyngale | — |
| 3 | Middle French | Portingal | — |
| 4 | Latin | Portucale | Portugal |
| 5 | Latin | Portus Cale | Oporto |
| 6 | Latin | Portus | ” or, later, “Portus Rōmae”}} Portus large artificial harbour of Ancient Rome |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | portus | harbour |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pértus | crossing |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |