Where does “近東” come from?

近東 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 東, from Old Japanese 東, from Old Japanese 天, from Proto-Japonic *amay.

Ancestry of “近東”, step by step

近東 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

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 近

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese近near; close; close; near
2Middle Chinese近—
Every word from Proto-Japonic *amay →Every word from Old Japanese 天 →Every word from Old Japanese 東 →