Where does “nubia” come from?
nubia (Papiamentu) comes from Spanish nube, from Old Portuguese nuve, from Pashto نوی, from Proto-Iranian náwah, from Proto-Balto-Slavic náwas, from Proto-Indo-Aryan náwas, from Proto-Indo-European néwyos, from Proto-Indo-European néwos — new; to nod, assent to.
nubia (Papiamentu): cloud
Ancestry of “nubia”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Spanish | nube | cloud; multitude, or crowd, of people;... |
| 2 | Old Portuguese | nuve | cloud |
| 3 | Pashto | نوی | new |
| 4 | Proto-Iranian | náwah | — |
| 5 | Proto-Balto-Slavic | náwas | new |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-Aryan | náwas | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | néwyos | Alternative form of *néwos; new |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | néwos | new |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | new- | new; to nod, assent to |