Where does “新西蘭” come from?
新西蘭 (Japanese) comes from English New Zealand, from Dutch Nieuw-Zeeland, from Dutch nieuw, from Middle Dutch niewe, from Old Dutch niuwi, from Proto-West Germanic niwi, from Proto-Germanic *niwjaz, from Proto-Indo-European néwyos — new; to nod, assent to.
Ancestry of “新西蘭”, step by step
新西蘭 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English New Zealand
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | New Zealand | A rabbit of a breed that originated in California... |
| 2 | Dutch | Nieuw-Zeeland | new Zeeland |
| 3 | Dutch | nieuw | new |
| 4 | Middle Dutch | niewe | new |
| 5 | Old Dutch | niuwi | new |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | niwi | new |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | *niwjaz | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | néwyos | Alternative form of *néwos; new |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | néwos | new |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | new- | new; to nod, assent to |
via Chinese Mandarin 新西蘭
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chinese Mandarin | 新西蘭 | — |