Where does “nişan” come from?
nişan (Turkish) comes from Ottoman Turkish نشان, from Classical Persian نِشَان, from Persian نیشان, from Middle Persian nyšʾn', from Proto-Iranian ni-, from Proto-Indo-Iranian ní, from Proto-Indo-European ni — down.
nişan (Turkish): sign; mark; target
Ancestry of “nişan”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Ottoman Turkish | نشان | sign, mark, symbol, indicator; stamp; target |
| 2 | Classical Persian | نِشَان | — |
| 3 | Persian | نیشان | sign, mark |
| 4 | Middle Persian | nyšʾn' | mark, sign; banner |
| 5 | Proto-Iranian | ni- | down |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | ní | down, downwards; in, into |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ni | down |
Words derived from “nişan”