Where does “Antananarivo” come from?

Antananarivo (Malagasy) comes from Malagasy tanana, from Proto-Malayic taŋan — hand.

Ancestry of “Antananarivo”, step by step

Antananarivo traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Malagasy tanana

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Malagasytananahand of humans
2Proto-Malayictaŋanhand

via Malagasy arivo

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Malagasyarivoone thousand

Words derived from “Antananarivo

Every word from Proto-Malayic taŋanEvery word from Malagasy tanana