Where does “英語” come from?
英語 (Japanese) comes from Chinese 英語, from Chinese 英格蘭, from English England, from Middle English Engelond, from Old English Engla land, from Old English land, from Proto-West Germanic land, from Proto-Germanic landą — land, heath; loins.
英語 (Japanese): the English language
Ancestry of “英語”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Chinese | 英語 | English language |
| 2 | Chinese | 英格蘭 | — |
| 3 | English | England | — |
| 4 | Middle English | Engelond | — |
| 5 | Old English | Engla land | land of the Angles |
| 6 | Old English | land | land; a country; region within a country:... |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | land | land, area of ground |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | landą | land, area of ground |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | lendʰ- | land, heath; loins |