Where does “караван-сарай” come from?
караван-сарай (Russian) comes from Persian کاروانسرای, from Persian کاروان, from Middle Persian kʾlwʾn', from Old Persian 𐎣𐎠𐎼, from Proto-Indo-European ḱer-, from Proto-Indo-European kr̥-, from Proto-Indo-European ker- — army.
караван-сарай (Russian): caravanserai
Ancestry of “караван-сарай”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Persian | کاروانسرای | caravanserai |
| 2 | Persian | کاروان | caravan; convoy |
| 3 | Middle Persian | kʾlwʾn' | military column; caravan |
| 4 | Old Persian | 𐎣𐎠𐎼 | the people, subjects; army |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱer- | to grow, to make grow, to nourish; to plait,... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | kr̥- | to turn, to bend |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ker- | army |