Where does “džan” come from?
džan (Serbo-Croatian) comes from Ottoman Turkish جان, from Old Anatolian Turkish جان, from Persian جان, from Middle Persian yʾn', from Proto-Iranian *wyaHnáH, from Proto-Indo-Iranian wyaHnás, from Proto-Indo-European h₂enh₁‑.
džan (Serbo-Croatian): dear, darling
Ancestry of “džan”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Ottoman Turkish | جان | soul; being; life |
| 2 | Old Anatolian Turkish | جان | — |
| 3 | Persian | جان | soul; being; life |
| 4 | Middle Persian | yʾn' | — |
| 5 | Proto-Iranian | *wyaHnáH | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | wyaHnás | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂enh₁‑ | — |