Where does “Bahari ya Shamu” come from?
Bahari ya Shamu (Swahili) comes from Swahili bahari, from Persian بهاری, from Persian بهار, from Middle Persian whʾl, from Old Persian 𐎺𐎠𐏃𐎼, from Proto-Iranian *wáhār, from Proto-Indo-Iranian wásr̥, from Proto-Indo-European wósr̥ — spring.
Ancestry of “Bahari ya Shamu”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Swahili | bahari | sea, ocean |
| 2 | Persian | بهاری | vernal, pertaining to spring |
| 3 | Persian | بهار | spring; blossom |
| 4 | Middle Persian | whʾl | — |
| 5 | Old Persian | 𐎺𐎠𐏃𐎼 | — |
| 6 | Proto-Iranian | *wáhār | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | wásr̥ | spring |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | wósr̥ | spring |