English
Phoenicia
Phoenicia comes from Latin Phoenicia, from Ancient Greek Φοῖνῐξ ‘Phoenician’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰen- ‘to strike down, slay’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷʰen-‘to strike down, slay’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷʰónos‘killing, slaughter’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*kʷʰónos‘murder’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEφόνοςphónos‘murder’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEφοινόςphoinós‘blood-red’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEΦοῖνῐξ‘Phoenician’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEΦοινίκηPhoiníkē
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEPhoenicia
- Englishtodaysame form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷʰen-‘to strike down, slay’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷʰónos‘killing, slaughter’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*kʷʰónos‘murder’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEφόνοςphónos‘murder’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEφοινόςphoinós‘blood-red’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEΦοῖνῐξ‘Phoenician’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEΦοινίκηPhoiníkē
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEPhoenicia
- Englishtodaysame form
The story
The word is already found in the Mycenaean Greek ethnonym 𐀡𐀛𐀑𐀍 (po-ni-ki-jo).
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰen- ‘to strike down, slay’
offensive, defend, offense, fence, offend, bane, fend, infest, 5 more
Today it means
name The land of city states of the Phoenicians which around 1000 BC was situated on the coast of present day Syria and Lebanon, and included the cities of Tyre and Sidon.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰen- / Phoenicia