Where does “Memphis” come from?
Memphis (Latin) comes from Ancient Greek Μέμφις, from Egyptian mn-nfr, from Egyptian mn-nfr-ppy, from Egyptian mn, from Proto-Vietic kaw, from Dutch kauwen, from Middle Dutch couwen, from Old Dutch kiuwan — to chew.
Ancestry of “Memphis”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ancient Greek | Μέμφις | Memphis, mythological founder of the city of Memphis |
| 2 | Egyptian | mn-nfr | Memphis |
| 3 | Egyptian | mn-nfr-ppy | the pyramid of Pepy |
| 4 | Egyptian | mn | to be established, to be fixed or set; to stick,... |
| 5 | Proto-Vietic | kaw | — |
| 6 | Dutch | kauwen | to chew |
| 7 | Middle Dutch | couwen | to chew |
| 8 | Old Dutch | kiuwan | to chew |
| 9 | Proto-West Germanic | keuwan | to chew |
| 10 | Proto-Germanic | kewwaną | to chew |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵyewh₁- | to chew |