Where does “Latinamerika” come from?
Latinamerika (Swedish) comes from Latvian Amerika, from Latin America, from Italian Amerigo, from Proto-Germanic *Amalarīks, from Proto-Germanic Haimarīks, from Proto-Germanic rīks, from Proto-Celtic rīxs, from Proto-Indo-European h₃rḗǵs — to straighten, to right oneself; right; just.
Ancestry of “Latinamerika”, step by step
Latinamerika traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Latvian Amerika
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latvian | Amerika | America |
| 2 | Latin | America | — |
| 3 | Italian | Amerigo | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | *Amalarīks | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | Haimarīks | Henry |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | rīks | king, ruler |
| 7 | Proto-Celtic | rīxs | king |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃rḗǵs | king, ruler |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃reǵ- | to straighten, to right oneself; right; just |
via French Amérique latine
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | Amérique latine | — |