Etymology Explorer › Portuguese

Where does “canal” come from?

canal (Portuguese) comes from Old Occitan canal, from Latin canālis, from Latin canna, from Ancient Greek κάννα, from Akkadian 𒄀, from Sumerian 𒄀 — reed; a certain unit of length.

canal (Portuguese): ditch; canal; channel

Definitions

  1. ditch; canal; channel

Ancestry of “canal”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Occitancanal—
2Latincanālis—
3LatincannaA reed, cane; Anything made of reed or cane;...
4Ancient Greekκάνναgiant reed; reed mat
5Akkadian𒄀reed; a certain unit of length
6Sumerian𒄀reed; a certain unit of length
Every word from Sumerian 𒄀 →