English
jungle
Jungle comes from Sanskrit जङ्गल ‘arid or sterile region, desert’.
- Sanskritc. 1500–500 BCEजङ्गलjaṅgala‘arid or sterile region, desert’
- Sauraseni Prakritmodern𑀚𑀁𑀕𑀮jaṃgala
- Englishearliest quotation 1858–1865jungle
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Sanskritc. 1500–500 BCEजङ्गलjaṅgala‘arid or sterile region, desert’
- Sauraseni Prakritmodern𑀚𑀁𑀕𑀮jaṃgala
- Englishearliest quotation 1858–1865jungle
Earliest quotation: 1858–1865, Thomas Carlyle, History of Friedrich II. of Prussia: “[…] lost in such a jungle of intrigues, pettifoggings,…”
The story
First appears c. 1776 in a translation by Nathaniel Halhed.
Every English word from Sanskrit जङ्गल
Today it means
noun A large, lush, undeveloped, humid forest, especially in a tropical region, thick with vegetation and wildlife; a tropical rainforest.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Sanskrit जङ्गल / jungle