Where does “veli” come from?

veli (Turkish) comes from Ottoman Turkish ولی, from Old Anatolian Turkish ولی, from Classical Persian ولی, from Arabic وَلِيّ — near; custodian, protecter, helper.

veli (Turkish): custodian, guardian

Definitions

  1. custodian, guardian

Ancestry of “veli”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Ottoman Turkishولیparent; close relative
2Old Anatolian Turkishولیone who displays a lot of religious virtues, and therefore is thought to have reached a supreme religious degree and/or God's love, and is recognized as holy; saint, wali
3Classical Persianولی
4Arabicوَلِيّnear; custodian, protecter, helper
Every word from Arabic وَلِيّEvery word from Classical Persian ولیEvery word from Old Anatolian Turkish ولی