Where does “Portugal” come from?
Portugal (Portuguese) comes from Middle English Portyngale, from Middle French Portingal, from Latin Portucale, from Latin Portus Cale, from Latin Portus, from Proto-Italic portus, from Proto-Indo-European pértus, from Proto-Indo-European per- — passed , crossed.
Ancestry of “Portugal”, step by step
Portugal traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English Portyngale
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | Portyngale | — |
| 2 | Middle French | Portingal | — |
| 3 | Latin | Portucale | Portugal |
| 4 | Latin | Portus Cale | Oporto |
| 5 | Latin | Portus | ” or, later, “Portus Rōmae”}} Portus large artificial harbour of Ancient Rome |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | portus | harbour |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pértus | crossing |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |
via Old Portuguese Portugal
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old Portuguese | Portugal | — |