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Yiannis
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Topic: Meaning of country names. Posted: 06-Dec-2004 at 03:39 |
Originally posted by Ptolemy
Egypt, comes from the Greek word Aegyptos, which I have no idea why they called it that..
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Nobody knows for sure any more! Depending on the root words that you choose it can mean either "sunburned" (sounds logical), or "goat-fall" (connected to the milkyway that was represented as the Nile?- a bit far-stretched but who knows?).
Most of the words we use about Egypt are Greek and they have fun origins as well. So "obelisk" was a type of small spit that was used in Greece for meat cooking (something like "souvlaki":-). When the Greeks saw the huge Egyptian "Obelisks" (who knows what the Egyptians called them?) they thought they resembled meat-sticks and humorously named them "Obeliskos"
(Obelias = spit, obeliskos = small spit)
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The basis of a democratic state is liberty. Aristotle, Politics
Those that can give up essential liberty to obtain a temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. Benjamin Franklin
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Posted: 06-Dec-2004 at 04:47 |
The name "Turkey" was obviously given to anatolia when the crusaders arrived. When they came they saw turks living all over anatolia and turk culture dominat between the anatolians, so they called these lands turkey...
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Romano Nero
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Posted: 06-Dec-2004 at 05:21 |
Originally posted by Yiannis
Most of the words we use about Egypt are Greek and they have fun origins as well. So "obelisk" was a type of small spit that was used in Greece for meat cooking (something like "souvlaki":-). When the Greeks saw the huge Egyptian "Obelisks" (who knows what the Egyptians called them?) they thought they resembled meat-sticks and humorously named them "Obeliskos"
(Obelias = spit, obeliskos = small spit) |
Kebab-stone?
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Posted: 06-Dec-2004 at 08:06 |
Originally posted by mongke
Dam we should have named it as such. The actual name of Mexico is the United States of Mexico. |
It's United Mexican States, that's not the same
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gcle2003
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Posted: 06-Dec-2004 at 17:34 |
Since I live here, and the country does tend to get overlooked, I'd better add that Luxembourg is named after the capital city Luxembourg*, which derives from Lucilinburhuc, Alleman Frankish for 'little castle'.
It's interesting the French call Germany 'Allemagne' after the Alleman Franks, and the Germans call France Frankreich meaning Empire of the Franks also after the Alleman Franks, when the Alleman Franks were one tribe, and the only little bit of Europe that still remains of their realm is Luxembourg.
*Note noted for their imagnination, Luxembourgers. And I get bored with people thinking something is wrong when I say my address ends 'Luxembourg Luxembourg'
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Mr Bobo
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Posted: 06-Dec-2004 at 22:29 |
The name 'Australia' dates back to 2nd Century AD legends of an "unknown southern land" ("terra australis incognita"). Matthew Flinders (English Explorer) named the land "Terra Australis" which eventually mutated into 'Australia'. If the Dutch had stayed on in Australia (they were here before the english) , it'd now be called "New Holland".
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"A child of five would understand this, send someone to fetch a child of five"
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Jalisco Lancer
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Posted: 07-Dec-2004 at 11:07 |
Mexico comes from the Nahuatl.
It means, in the middle of the moon.
Regards
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gcle2003
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Posted: 07-Dec-2004 at 15:49 |
Scotland is rather obviously the land of the Scots.
Only interesting because the Scots came from Ireland.
Norway is the sea route to the North: any other countries named after a stretch of water? NB it's sometimes said it means 'land of the Norse' but that's a copout. Iceland however is the land of ice, and Finland the land of the Finns. Denmark is the field of the Danes (although 'mark' comes to mean 'outlying' or 'bordering' land), and I have no idea where Sweden - Sverige - comes from.
By the way, in Denmark don't avoid saying CopenhAYgen because it's the English name. Don't say CopenhAAgen unless you want them to think you're German. Try Kerpenhaan if you want to be polite; in fact K'penhaan is better if you can put the stress on the apostrophe.
Portugal comes from the Roman name for Oporto, Portus Cale apparently, so something Gate or Port.
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Posted: 07-Dec-2004 at 17:59 |
Originally posted by Jalisco Lancer
Mexico comes from the Nahuatl.
It means, in the middle of the moon.
Regards |
It's a very remarkable name.
why do people call a country on earth 'middle of the moon'?
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Ptolemy
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Posted: 07-Dec-2004 at 21:36 |
Originally posted by Tobodai
I thought it was spelled 'Misr' |
I think having a 'ma' sound is more accurate, but I'm no expert.
Yiannis, I find it interesting that the Greeks gave many countries and lands names, but it was the Romans who named Greece (at least for all non-Greeks).
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Paul
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Posted: 07-Dec-2004 at 21:40 |
Originally posted by gcle2003
Scotland is rather obviously the land of the Scots.
Only interesting because the Scots came from Ireland.
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Actually Scot is quite interesting for the same reason as the earlier Welsh example. The Scots cal l themselves Gaels, Scot is the English name for them and it roughly translates to barbarian in the Angle tongue.
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John Doe
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Posted: 07-Dec-2004 at 23:17 |
I thought the term Scot came from an Irish tribe called Scotti, based in the island off North-East Ireland.
They migrated/invaded Western Scotland (home of the Picts in the north and Brythonic Celts in the south)
Eventually, the kingdom became known as Scotland.
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Yiannis
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Posted: 08-Dec-2004 at 04:25 |
Originally posted by Ptolemy
Yiannis, I find it interesting that the Greeks gave many countries and lands names, but it was the Romans who named Greece (at least for all non-Greeks).
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Ha,ha! Indeed, that was a clever observation, I haven't thought of it that way, but you're absolutelly right!
Ironic, isn't it?
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The basis of a democratic state is liberty. Aristotle, Politics
Those that can give up essential liberty to obtain a temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. Benjamin Franklin
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Posted: 08-Dec-2004 at 09:22 |
Austria is the English version of sterreich, which
means Eastern kingdom, Eastern land. I think that
name came about in the 1200s, when the Pope
granted the land to the Babenberger kings to defend
Christiandom against the Turks.
Israel: Wrestles-with-God. Jacob's nickname.
Ecuador is named after the Equator. Quito, the
capital, is named after the Quitus-Caras, who were
the rulers of that area before the Incas conquered
them. The Inca Empire is properly known as
Tawantinsuyo, the Four-Part Empire. Cuzco, its
capital, means "navel."
Yugoslavia is South-Slavland, the southernmost
extent of Slavic people.
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Paul
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Posted: 08-Dec-2004 at 10:56 |
Originally posted by John Doe
I thought the term Scot came from an Irish tribe called Scotti, based in the island off North-East Ireland.
They migrated/invaded Western Scotland (home of the Picts in the north and Brythonic Celts in the south)
Eventually, the kingdom became known as Scotland.
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It's very possible the word Scot found it's way into English from Latin. The Romans would very definately have thought of the Scotti as barbarians. Nowadays we use the tribal names of Vandal and Visigoth to mean uncivilised behaviour in modern English, probably deriving from Roman influence. Perhaps the Anglo-Saxons did the same back then with Scotti.
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Posted: 08-Dec-2004 at 13:12 |
Originally posted by Ptolemy
Originally posted by Tobodai
I thought it was spelled 'Misr' |
I think having a 'ma' sound is more accurate, but I'm no expert.
Yiannis, I find it interesting that the Greeks gave many countries and lands names, but it was the Romans who named Greece (at least for all non-Greeks).
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The arabic word is "Msr" for egypt.
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Cyrus Shahmiri
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Posted: 08-Dec-2004 at 15:18 |
Iran: [Airyana=Airia(Aryan)+Ana(way)] = Land of Aryans Afghanistan: [Afghan(Shout) + Istan(Land)] = Land of people who speak loudly Pakistan: [Pak(Pure) + Istan(Land)] = Land of Pure (Muslims) India: [Hindustan=Hindu(Sindh) + Istan(Land)] = Land of people who live beside Sindh (Indus) river Georgia: [Gorgistan=Gorj(?)+ Istan(Land)] = Land of Gorjs Tajikistan: [Taj(Crown) + ik(Head) + Istan(Land)] = Land of people who wear crown on their head Azerbaijan: [Azerbaigan=Azer(Fire)+Baigan(Place)] = Land of Fire Armenia: [Aramnistan=Aramn(Peace)+Istan(Land)] = Land of Peace
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Jagatai Khan
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Posted: 11-Dec-2004 at 10:52 |
Armenia: [Aramnistan=Aramn(Peace)+Istan(Land)] = Land of Peace |
The land can be peaceful,but the people certainly aren't.
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Posted: 11-Dec-2004 at 14:38 |
Originally posted by Cyrus Shahmiri
Pakistan: [Pak(Pure) + Istan(Land)] = Land of Pure (Muslims) |
I thought the name Pakistan was derived from the thirst characters of the three main Pakistani Regions: Punjab, someting with an A and Kashmir + istan.
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Cywr
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Posted: 11-Dec-2004 at 15:17 |
There are multiple versions of why Pakistan is named the way it is.
What is for sure is that the name was first coined by some guy called
Chudaray something or other (whilst sitting in a double decker bus in
London so the tale goes), back in the 1920/30s or so, and he envisioned
each individual letter representing something, he wanted a full
seperate Muslim India, needless to say, he died dissapointed. From here
comes the simplified version, the p = Punjabi, A = Afghan, K =
Kashmiri, and the istan bit representing Baluchistan.
In addition to that of course, Pak means pure in both Persian, and Urdu
(official language of Pakistan), and land of the pure sounds pretty
spiffy if you're building an Islamic republic, though i'm not sure if
Chudaray had this in mind when he coinded the name.
Now, as for what the official version is (bare in mind that various
founders of Pakistan had squables with each other), well i'm not sure,
but i sometimes get the impression that there are several, or that it
has changed, or that different people and different Pakistanis even all
think that their version is best.
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Arrrgh!!"
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