Where does “پنجاب” come from?

پنجاب (Persian) comes from Persian آب, from Arabic آب, from Classical Syriac ܐܒ, from Aramaic אב, from Akkadian Abum, from Proto-Semitic ʔabw-, from Proto-Afroasiatic ʔab- — father.

پنجاب (Persian): the Five Rivers

Definitions

  1. the Five Rivers

Ancestry of “پنجاب”, step by step

پنجاب traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Persian آب

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Persianآبwater; liquid; juice
2Arabicآبto return, to come back; to repent; to incur,...
3Classical SyriacܐܒAugust
4Aramaicאבabsolute form of אַבָּא
5AkkadianAbumAbu, the fifth month of the Babylonian calendar (approximately July-August)
6Proto-Semiticʔabw-father
7Proto-Afroasiaticʔab-father

via Sanskrit पञ्चनद

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Sanskritपञ्चनद
2Sanskritपञ्चcombining form of पञ्चन्; five
3Proto-Indo-Aryanpánća
4Proto-Indo-Iranianpánčafive
5Proto-Indo-Europeanpénkʷefive

via Persian پنج

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Persianپنجfive
2Proto-Iranianpánčafive

Words derived from “پنجاب

Every word from Proto-Afroasiatic ʔab-Every word from Proto-Semitic ʔabw-Every word from Akkadian Abum