Where does “हिन्दुस्तान” come from?
हिन्दुस्तान (Marathi) comes from Persian هندوستان, from Persian ـستان, from Middle Persian -stʾn', from Proto-Indo-Iranian stáHnam, from Proto-Indo-European stéh₂-no-m, from Proto-Indo-European steh₂- — to stand.
Ancestry of “हिन्दुस्तान”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Persian | هندوستان | India |
| 2 | Persian | ـستان | -istan, -estan, -stan |
| 3 | Middle Persian | -stʾn' | makes nouns of places; of indeterminate function |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | stáHnam | the act of standing; position, location, place |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | stéh₂-no-m | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | steh₂- | to stand |