Etymograph

English

Iran

Iran comes from Middle Persian 𐭠𐭩𐭥𐭠𐭭 ‘of the Aryans’, from 𐭠𐭩𐭫 ‘Iranian, i.e. the autonymic self-denominator…’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-Iranian *Áryas.

  1. Proto-Indo-Iranianc. 2500–1800 BCE*Áryas‘autonymic ethnonym of the respective Indo-Iranian peoples’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Iranianprehistoric (reconstructed)*Áryah‘Aryan, Iranian: of or pertaining to the Aryan or Iranian language and people’reconstructed
  3. Old Persianc. 600–300 BCEa-r-i-ytransliteratedoriginal script a-r-i-y, a transliteration‘Iranian’
  4. Middle Persianc. 300 BCE–900 CE𐭠𐭩𐭫ʾyl‘Iranian, i.e. the autonymic self-denominator of speakers of Iranian languages’
  5. Middle Persian, derivedc. 300 BCE–900 CE𐭠𐭩𐭥𐭠𐭭ʾērān‘of the Aryans’
  6. Classical Persianc. 900–presentایرانērān
  7. Englishearliest quotation ca. 1675Iran

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Iranianc. 2500–1800 BCE*Áryas‘autonymic ethnonym of the respective Indo-Iranian peoples’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Iranianprehistoric (reconstructed)*Áryah‘Aryan, Iranian: of or pertaining to the Aryan or Iranian language and people’reconstructed
  3. Old Persianc. 600–300 BCEa-r-i-ytransliteratedoriginal script a-r-i-y, a transliteration‘Iranian’
  4. Middle Persianc. 300 BCE–900 CE𐭠𐭩𐭫ʾyl‘Iranian, i.e. the autonymic self-denominator of speakers of Iranian languages’
  5. Middle Persian, derivedc. 300 BCE–900 CE𐭠𐭩𐭥𐭠𐭭ʾērān‘of the Aryans’
  6. Classical Persianc. 900–presentایرانērān
  7. Englishearliest quotation ca. 1675Iran

Earliest quotation: ca. 1675, Jean Chardin, Travels in Persia: “The Persians, in naming their country, make use of…”

The story

The name of the political entity is a 3rd-century development that derives from the indigenous ethnolinguistic name of the Iranian peoples, i.e. the great variety of Iranian tribes that spoke an Iranian language.

Every English word from Proto-Indo-Iranian *Áryas

Today it means

name A country in West Asia. Official name: Islamic Republic of Iran. Capital: Tehran.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-Iranian *Áryas / Iran

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