Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “Scotland” come from?

Scotland (Middle English) comes from Old English Scotland, from Old English scott, from Latin scotus, from Ancient Greek σκότος, from Proto-Indo-European skh₃tos, from Proto-Indo-European (s)ḱeh₃- — darkness, shadow.

Ancestry of “Scotland”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old EnglishScotlandIreland", later also "Scotland
2Old Englishscott—
3Latinscotus—
4Ancient Greekσκότοςdarkness, gloom
5Proto-Indo-Europeanskh₃tos—
6Proto-Indo-European(s)ḱeh₃-darkness, shadow

Words derived from “Scotland”

  • Scotland
  • Scotlander
  • スコットランド
  • Xcốt-len
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)ḱeh₃- →