Where does “Amerika” come from?
Amerika (Turkish) comes from Ottoman Turkish آمریقا, from Italian America, from New Latin America, from Italian Amerigo, from Proto-Germanic *Amalarīks, from Proto-Germanic Haimarīks, from Proto-Germanic rīks, from Proto-Celtic rīxs — to straighten, to right oneself; right; just.
Ancestry of “Amerika”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ottoman Turkish | آمریقا | America |
| 2 | Italian | America | — |
| 3 | New Latin | America | — |
| 4 | Italian | Amerigo | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | *Amalarīks | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | Haimarīks | Henry |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | rīks | king, ruler |
| 8 | Proto-Celtic | rīxs | king |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃rḗǵs | king, ruler |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃reǵ- | to straighten, to right oneself; right; just |