Etymology Explorer › Turkish

Where does “İstanbul” come from?

İstanbul (Turkish) comes from Byzantine Greek πόλις, from Proto-Hellenic ptólis, from Proto-Indo-European tpólHis, from Proto-Indo-European tpelH- — fortification, city.

İstanbul (Turkish): Istanbul

Definitions

  1. Istanbul

Ancestry of “İstanbul”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Byzantine Greekπόλιςin the City; city; a whole country, as dependent...
2Proto-Hellenicptóliscity
3Proto-Indo-EuropeantpólHis—
4Proto-Indo-EuropeantpelH-fortification, city

Words derived from “İstanbul”

  • Istanbul
  • Istanbulite
  • İstanbullu
  • Istanbul
Every word from Proto-Indo-European tpelH- →