galangal
noun · first attested 14th century
The word crossed four languages before reaching English, and the place at the end of the chain may not be there at all.
The aromatic rhizome of several Asian plants related to ginger, used in Southeast Asian cooking.
Guangdong·People's Republic of China
23.4000°N 113.5000°E · Q15175
Record
- Relationship
- Indirect, via a person or title
- Confidence
- DisputedCompeting explanations remain live.
- Attested
- 14th century
- Part of speech
- noun
Explanations here are written for this atlas. Dictionary text is not copied; the sources are linked so the claim can be checked.
- Step 1
Guangdong
- In English
galangal
Middle English galyngale came from Old French, which took it from Arabic khalanjan, which took it from Persian and ultimately Sanskrit. The Sanskrit word may go back to Chinese gaoliangjiang, ginger from Gaoliang, an old prefecture in what is now Guangdong. Each step is documented but the last one is only probable, so the toponym at the root of the word is not certain.