Etymology Explorer › Ottoman Turkish

Where does “فلسطین” come from?

فلسطین (Ottoman Turkish) comes from Classical Persian فَلَسْطِین, from Arabic فلسطين, from Ancient Greek Παλαιστίνη, from Ancient Greek Παλαιστῑ́νη, from Hebrew פְּלֶשֶׁת, from Hebrew פ־ל־ש — migrate, invade.

Ancestry of “فلسطین”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Classical Persianفَلَسْطِین—
2Arabicفلسطين—
3Ancient GreekΠαλαιστίνηPhilistia and the surrounding region
4Ancient GreekΠαλαιστῑ́νη—
5HebrewפְּלֶשֶׁתPhilistia, land of the Philistines
6Hebrewפ־ל־שmigrate, invade
Every word from Hebrew פ־ל־ש →