Etymology Explorer › Translingual

Where does “Argentina” come from?

Argentina (Translingual) comes from Latin argentinus, from Latin argentum, from Proto-Italic argentom, from Proto-Indo-European h₂r̥ǵn̥tóm, from Proto-Indo-European h₂erǵ- — white, argent; glittering.

Ancestry of “Argentina”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1LatinargentinusArgentinian; silvery
2Latinargentumsilver; a silver thing
3Proto-Italicargentomsilver
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂r̥ǵn̥tómsilver
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂erǵ-white, argent; glittering
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂erǵ- →