English
Poland
Poland comes from Old Polish Polanie ‘Poles’, from Proto-Slavic *poľaninъ ‘field dweller’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pleh₂- ‘flat, wide’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pleh₂-‘flat, wide’reconstructed
- Proto-Slavicc. 400–900 CE*poľe‘field’reconstructed
- Proto-Slavic, derivedc. 400–900 CE*poľaninъ‘field dweller’reconstructed
- Proto-Slavic, derivedc. 400–900 CE*poľanereconstructedplural of *poľaninъ
- Old PolishmodernPolanie‘Poles’literally ‘field dwellers’
- Germanc. 1650–presentPolen
- Englishearliest quotation 1978Poland
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pleh₂-‘flat, wide’reconstructed
- Proto-Slavicc. 400–900 CE*poľe‘field’reconstructed
- Proto-Slavic, derivedc. 400–900 CE*poľaninъ‘field dweller’reconstructed
- Proto-Slavic, derivedc. 400–900 CE*poľanereconstructedplural of *poľaninъ
- Old PolishmodernPolanie‘Poles’literally ‘field dwellers’
- Germanc. 1650–presentPolen
- Englishearliest quotation 1978Poland
Earliest quotation: 1978, Richard Nixon, RN: the Memoirs of Richard Nixon: “After leaving the Soviet Union, we made a brief…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *pel-
film, felt, simple, simply, push, filter, pulse, complain, powder, pillow, repeal, fold, flaw, compulsive, expel, repel, palpable, propel, palate, pollen, palladium, pall, pelt, palatable, wallow, peloton, tuple, muffle, peplum, polemic, pulver, palp, palatal, pillion, pollinate, apoplexy, interpolate, 63 more
through Proto-Indo-European *pleh₂- ‘flat, wide’
field, floor, explain, palm, planet, plane, plain, explanation, clan, archipelago, fluke, parma, explanatory, playa, placenta, palatine, planar, flounder, placate, lech, implacable, esplanade, pelagic, veld, plantar, flay, floe, purdah, llano, planta, 48 more
through Proto-Slavic *poľe ‘field’
Today it means
name A country in Central Europe. Official name: Republic of Poland. Capital and largest city: Warsaw.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *pleh₂- / Poland