Etymology

Benelux

B3E1N1E1L1U1X8

Today it means: An economic and customs union made up of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. Full definition →

Dutch Benelux ← Middle Dutch lant ← Old Dutch lant
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*bʰelǵʰ-?
  2. Proto-Celtic*belgos
  3. LatinBelgae
  4. DutchBelg
  5. DutchBelgië
  6. Old Dutchnither
  7. Middle Dutchnēder
  8. Dutchneder
  9. Proto-Indo-European*lendʰ-
  10. Proto-Germanic*landą
  11. Frankish*land
  12. Old Dutchlant
  13. Middle Dutchlant
  14. Dutchland
  15. DutchNederland
  16. DutchLuxemburg
  17. DutchBenelux
  18. English todayBenelux

Borrowed from Dutch Benelux. By surface analysis, syllabic abbreviation of Belgium + Netherlands + Luxembourg.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.