Where does “nilam” come from?
nilam (Malay) comes from Tamil நீலம், from Sanskrit नील, from Proto-Indo-European neyH- — to lead.
nilam (Malay): sapphire
Ancestry of “nilam”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Tamil | நீலம் | blue |
| 2 | Sanskrit | नील | of a dark color |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | neyH- | to lead |