Etymograph

English

Georgia

Georgia comes from Medieval Latin Geōrgia, and goes back to Middle Persian 𐭥𐭫𐭥𐭰𐭠𐭭 ‘Iberians, Georgians’.

  1. Middle Persianc. 300 BCE–900 CE𐭥𐭫𐭥𐭰𐭠𐭭ʿlʿcʾn‘Iberians, Georgians’
  2. Classical Persianc. 900–presentگرجgurj
  3. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500Geōrgia
  4. Englishearliest quotation c. 1587–1588Georgia

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Middle Persianc. 300 BCE–900 CE𐭥𐭫𐭥𐭰𐭠𐭭ʿlʿcʾn‘Iberians, Georgians’
  2. Classical Persianc. 900–presentگرجgurj
  3. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500Geōrgia
  4. Englishearliest quotation c. 1587–1588Georgia

Earliest quotation: c. 1587–1588, Christopher Marlowe, Tamburlaine the Great. […] The Second Part […]: “Though this be held his laſt daies dꝛeadfull ſiege,…”

The story

The term's further history is unknown; it may ultimately be a derivation from Middle Persian 𐭢𐭥𐭫𐭢 (gurg, “wolf”), though that would be phonologically challenging; compare Parthian 𐭅𐭉𐭓𐭔𐭍 pl (wiruž-ān), Old Armenian վիր-ք (vir-kʻ), Old East Slavic гурзи (gurzi).uncertain The source flags this step as uncertain. Replaced earlier Georgie, from the same source via a Middle French intermediary. Early medieval sources hypothesize that the country was named after Saint George, while later European accounts connect the name with agricultural tribes called "Georgi" (from Ancient Greek γεωργός (geōrgós, “farmer”)) mentioned by classical authors (Pliny, IV.26, VI.14; Mela, De Sita Orb. i.2); neither of these etymologies is accepted today.

Every English word from Middle Persian 𐭥𐭫𐭥𐭰𐭠𐭭

Another origin of Georgia

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*werǵ-‘to make’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*wérǵom‘work’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*wérgon‘work’reconstructed
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἔργον‘work’
  5. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEγεωργός‘farmer’
  6. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEΓεώργιοςGeṓrgios‘farmer’
  7. EnglishtodayGeorgia

Today it means

name A transcontinental country in the Caucasus region of Europe and Asia, on the coast of the Black Sea. Official name: Georgia. Capital: Tbilisi.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Middle Persian 𐭥𐭫𐭥𐭰𐭠𐭭 / Georgia

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