Where does “nan” come from?

nan (Malay) comes from Hindi नान, from Classical Persian نان, from Middle Persian lhma, from Proto-Iranian nagna-, from Proto-Iranian ni.

nan (Malay): that, which, who

Definitions

  1. that, which, who

Ancestry of “nan”, step by step

nan traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Hindi नान

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Hindiनानnaan
2Classical Persianنان—
3Middle Persianlhmabread
4Proto-Iraniannagna-—
5Proto-Iranianni—

via Minangkabau nan

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Minangkabaunan—
Every word from Proto-Iranian ni →Every word from Proto-Iranian nagna- →Every word from Middle Persian lhma →