Etymology Explorer › Vietnamese

Where does “đèn xanh đèn đỏ” come from?

đèn xanh đèn đỏ (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese đèn xanh, from Vietnamese xanh, from French saint, from Latin sānctus, from Latin Iacobus, from Ancient Greek Ἰάκωβος, from Ancient Greek Ἰακώβ, from Hebrew יַעֲקֹב — heel of the foot; heel.

đèn xanh đèn đỏ (Vietnamese): traffic light

Definitions

  1. traffic light

Ancestry of “đèn xanh đèn đỏ”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnameseđèn xanhgreen light
2Vietnamesexanhgrue; green; wok
3Frenchsaintsaint; saintly
4Latinsānctus—
5LatinIacobusJacob; James; Saint James
6Ancient GreekἸάκωβος—
7Ancient GreekἸακώβ—
8HebrewיַעֲקֹבJacob
9Hebrewעָקֵבheel of the foot; heel
Every word from Hebrew עָקֵב →