Where does “Nam Ossetia” come from?
Nam Ossetia (Vietnamese) comes from English Ossetia, from Russian Осе́тия, from Georgian ოსეთი, from Georgian ოსი, from Old Georgian ოვსი — Ossetian.
Ancestry of “Nam Ossetia”, step by step
Nam Ossetia traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Ossetia
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | Ossetia | The northern part of the region forms North Ossetia-Alania federal subject of Russia. The southern part is South Ossetia |
| 2 | Russian | Осе́тия | — |
| 3 | Georgian | ოსეთი | Ossetia |
| 4 | Georgian | ოსი | Ossetian |
| 5 | Old Georgian | ოვსი | Ossetian |
via Vietnamese năm
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Vietnamese | năm | five; a year |
| 2 | Proto-Chamic | *nam | six |
| 3 | Proto-Malayo-Polynesian | ənəm | six |
| 4 | Proto-Austronesian | ənəm | six |
| 5 | Proto-Austroasiatic | *ənəm | — |