Where does “dërëm” come from?
dërëm (Wolof) comes from Arabic دِرْهَم, from Middle Persian 𐭦𐭥𐭦𐭭, from Ancient Greek δραχμή, from Ancient Greek δράσσομαι, from Proto-Indo-European dreǵʰ- — to be unwilling, vexed.
dërëm (Wolof): five francs
Ancestry of “dërëm”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Arabic | دِرْهَم | — |
| 2 | Middle Persian | 𐭦𐭥𐭦𐭭 | drachm |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | δραχμή | drachma; drachm |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | δράσσομαι | to grasp, take handfuls; I hold, seize; to hold,... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | dreǵʰ- | to be unwilling, vexed |