Where does “فلسطين” come from?
فلسطين (South Levantine Arabic) comes from Arabic فِلَسْطِين, from Ancient Greek Παλαιστίνη, from Ancient Greek Παλαιστῑ́νη, from Hebrew פְּלֶשֶׁת, from Hebrew פ־ל־ש — migrate, invade.
Ancestry of “فلسطين”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arabic | فِلَسْطِين | — |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | Παλαιστίνη | Philistia and the surrounding region |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | Παλαιστῑ́νη | — |
| 4 | Hebrew | פְּלֶשֶׁת | Philistia, land of the Philistines |
| 5 | Hebrew | פ־ל־ש | migrate, invade |