Where does “فیل” come from?
فیل (Ottoman Turkish) comes from Arabic فِيل, from Middle Persian pyl, from Latin pirum — a pear.
فیل (Ottoman Turkish): elephant
Ancestry of “فیل”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Arabic | فِيل | elephant; the elephant |
| 2 | Middle Persian | pyl | elephant; bishop |
| 3 | Latin | pirum | a pear |