Where does “Timor-Leste” come from?
Timor-Leste (Portuguese) comes from Portuguese leste, from French est, from Middle French est, from Old French est, from Latin est, from Proto-Indo-European h₁ésti, from Proto-Indo-European h₁es- — to be.
Ancestry of “Timor-Leste”, step by step
Timor-Leste traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Portuguese leste
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portuguese | leste | east |
| 2 | French | est | east; third-person singular present indicative of... |
| 3 | Middle French | est | third-person singular present indicative of estre |
| 4 | Old French | est | third-person singular present indicative of estre |
| 5 | Latin | est | third-person singular present active indicative... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁ésti | to be |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁es- | to be |