Where does “India” come from?
India (Portuguese) comes from Latin India, from Ancient Greek Ἰνδία, from Ancient Greek Ἰνδός, from Old Persian 𐏃𐎡𐎯𐎢𐏁, from Sanskrit सिन्धु, from Proto-Indo-Aryan síndʰuṣ, from Proto-Indo-Iranian síndʰuš, from Sanskrit सिन्धु॑.
Ancestry of “India”, step by step
India traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Latin India
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | India | — |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | Ἰνδία | — |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | Ἰνδός | an inhabitant of India or the Indian... |
| 4 | Old Persian | 𐏃𐎡𐎯𐎢𐏁 | India; people living beyond the Indus |
| 5 | Sanskrit | सिन्धु | a river, stream; flood, waters; ocean, sea |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-Aryan | síndʰuṣ | river, ocean; flow |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | síndʰuš | river, stream |
| 8 | Sanskrit | सिन्धु॑ | — |
via Old Portuguese India
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old Portuguese | India | — |