Where does “bimbashi” come from?
bimbashi (Swahili) comes from Ottoman Turkish بیڭباشی, from Ottoman Turkish باش, from Old Anatolian Turkish بَاشْ, from Proto-Turkic baĺč — head; beginning.
bimbashi (Swahili): sergeant; binbashi
Ancestry of “bimbashi”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Ottoman Turkish | بیڭباشی | lieutenant colonel |
| 2 | Ottoman Turkish | باش | head; chief, master, leader, head; prow, bow,... |
| 3 | Old Anatolian Turkish | بَاشْ | — |
| 4 | Proto-Turkic | baĺč | head; beginning |