Have you ever wondered where words come from? Some words feel so familiar, almost as if they’ve always existed. But when we stop and think about it, many questions arise: *Why do we call “water” water? How did the word “pen” come to be? Which languages have we borrowed words from? * This is where **etymology** comes in.
Etymology is the study of the origin of words and how they have changed over time. Every word has a hidden story behind it. Let’s take a look at some fascinating word origins:
🚢Vapur (steamship) – Comes from the French word vapeur, meaning “steam.”
📅 Hafta (week) – Borrowed from Persian haft, meaning “seven.”
🎭 Cambaz (acrobat, trickster) – Comes from Persian canbaz (can= life, baz = playing), meaning “someone who plays with their life.”
🖼️ Çerçeve (frame) – Comes from Persian çarçevre, meaning “four sides surrounded” (çar = four).
🍞 Nankör (ungrateful) – From Persian nān (bread) and kūr (blind), meaning “someone who doesn’t appreciate kindness.”
🌊 Mavi (blue) – Derived from Arabic mā’ī, meaning “related to water” (mā = water).
📢 Çavuş (sergeant) – Comes from Old Turkish çav, meaning “sound.” It originally referred to someone who shouted commands.
🙇 Bendeniz (a humble way to say “I”) – Doesn’t mean “I” + “sea”! It comes from the Persian bende (slave/servant) + the Turkish suffix -niz. People once introduced themselves as “I am your servant,” which evolved into bendeniz.
🌯 Lahmacun (Turkish food) – Comes from the Arabic lahm (meat) and acn (dough), meaning “meat dough.”
¼ Çeyrek (quarter) – From Persian çâr (four) and yek (one), meaning “one-fourth.”
🌍 Dünya (world) – Comes from Arabic dunyā, meaning “close” or “low.” In Old Turkish, words like yer-su (land-water) or cihan (the place where people live) were used instead.
Language is like a time capsule. Many words we use daily come from different cultures, evolving over centuries into what we know today. Next time you hear an unfamiliar word, remember—every word has a secret history waiting to be uncovered.
References:
- 8 Words with Surprising Origins”** – Halkbank Kültür ve Yaşam ([kulturveyasam.com](https:// kulturveyasam.com))
- The Origins of 30 Everyday Words”** – Kavram Mutfağı ([kavrammutfagi.com](https:// kavrammutfagi.com))
- Interesting Facts About the Origins of Words”** – İletim Gazetesi ([iletim.istanbul.edu.tr](https:// iletim.istanbul.edu.tr))
- Interesting Facts About the Origins of Words”** – İletim Gazetesi ([iletim.istanbul.edu.tr](https:// iletim.istanbul.edu.tr))
