Etymograph

English

Sinhala

Sinhala comes from Sinhalese සිංහල ‘Sinhalese, Singhalese (person)’, from Sanskrit सिंहल ‘Sri Lanka’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sinǵʰós.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sinǵʰósreconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Iranianc. 2500–1800 BCE*sinȷ́ʰás‘lion’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Indo-Aryanprehistoric (reconstructed)*sinźʰásreconstructed
  4. Sanskritc. 1500–500 BCEसिंह‘lion’
  5. Sanskrit, derivedc. 1500–500 BCEसिंहल‘Sri Lanka’literally ‘lionlike’
  6. Sinhalesemodernසිංහලsiṁhala‘Sinhalese, Singhalese (person)’
  7. EnglishtodaySinhala

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sinǵʰósreconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Iranianc. 2500–1800 BCE*sinȷ́ʰás‘lion’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Indo-Aryanprehistoric (reconstructed)*sinźʰásreconstructed
  4. Sanskritc. 1500–500 BCEसिंह‘lion’
  5. Sanskrit, derivedc. 1500–500 BCEसिंहल‘Sri Lanka’literally ‘lionlike’
  6. Sinhalesemodernසිංහලsiṁhala‘Sinhalese, Singhalese (person)’
  7. EnglishtodaySinhala

The story

Borrowed from Sinhalese සිංහල (siṁhala), itself borrowed from Sanskrit सिंहल (siṃhala, literally “lionlike”), from सिंह (siṃhá, “lion”) + -ल (-la), recorded as the name of the island of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) from about the 10th to 12th century, but presumably older, as it is also the source of the name Ceylon in western geographic tradition. The name is sometimes glossed as "abode of lions", referring to a supposed former abundance of lions on the island ( The Asiatic Journal 20 (1836), p. 30).

Every English word from Proto-Indo-European *sinǵʰós

Today it means

noun Synonym of Sinhalese (“language”).

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *sinǵʰós / Sinhala

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