Where does “中東” come from?

中東 (Japanese) comes from English Middle East, from English middle, from Middle English myddel, from Old English middel, from Proto-West Germanic *midl, from Proto-Germanic midlą, from Proto-Germanic midjō, from Proto-Indo-European médʰyos — in the middle of, near, by, around, with.

中東 (Japanese): Middle East

Definitions

  1. Middle East

Ancestry of “中東”, step by step

中東 traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via English Middle East

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishMiddle EastThe region between the Near East and the Far East
2EnglishmiddleA centre, midpoint; The part between the...
3Middle EnglishmyddelThe middle or centre of something
4Old Englishmiddelmiddle
5Proto-West Germanic*midl—
6Proto-Germanicmidląmiddle
7Proto-Germanicmidjōmiddle, midst
8Proto-Indo-Europeanmédʰyosmiddle
9Proto-Indo-Europeanmedʰi-with, among; with, along
10Proto-Indo-Europeanmein the middle of, near, by, around, with

via Japanese 東

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese東the east; the Orient; an easterly
2Old Japanese東the east; the lands east of the 都
3Old Japanese天sky, heavens
4Proto-Japonic*amay—

via Japanese 中

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese中middle, medium; average; neither good nor poor;...
2Japanese中今the present, as a privileged moment in eternity
3Japanese今now; just now; soon
Every word from Proto-Indo-European me →Every word from Proto-Indo-European medʰi- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European médʰyos →