Etymograph

English

Syria

Syria comes from Ancient Greek Ἀσσυρία ‘Assyria’, and goes back to Akkadian Aššur ‘Assur’.

  1. Akkadianc. 2500–100 BCEAššurtransliteratedcuneiform Aššur, a transliteration‘Assur’
  2. Akkadian, derivedc. 2500–100 BCEAššūrāyutransliteratedcuneiform Aššūrāyu, a transliteration
  3. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἈσσυρίαAssuría‘Assyria’
  4. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEΣῠρῐ́ᾱSŭrĭ́āapheretic form of Ἀσσυρία
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CESȳria
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500Sirie
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1866Syria

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Akkadianc. 2500–100 BCEAššurtransliteratedcuneiform Aššur, a transliteration‘Assur’
  2. Akkadian, derivedc. 2500–100 BCEAššūrāyutransliteratedcuneiform Aššūrāyu, a transliteration
  3. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἈσσυρίαAssuría‘Assyria’
  4. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEΣῠρῐ́ᾱSŭrĭ́āapheretic form of Ἀσσυρία
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CESȳria
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500Sirie
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1866Syria

Earliest quotation: 1866, Carl Ritter, Comparative Geography of Palestine and the Sinaitic Peninsul: “The belt which runs along the eastern frontier from…”

The story

The land corresponding to modern Syria was originally called Aram by its ancient inhabitants, the Arameans. After the Assyrian conquest of Aram, the Greeks applied the name Syria to this territory. Over time, Syria came to denote the broader Levant, while Assyria referred to Mesopotamia. Herodotus (5th century BCE) was among the earliest Greek authors to consistently distinguish Syria and Assyria.

Every English word from Akkadian Aššur

Today it means

name A country in West Asia in the Middle East. Official name: Syrian Arab Republic. Capital: Damascus.

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

Etymograph / Akkadian Aššur / Syria

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