Etymology

Mesopotamia

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Today it means: A geographic region in southwest Asia, spanning from the rivers Euphrates and Tigris, located in modern Iraq, eastern Syria, and southeast Turkey; the site of one of the most ancient civilizations in the history of man. Full definition →

Latin Mesopotamia ← Ancient Greek Μεσοποταμίᾱ (Mesopotamíā) ← Proto-Indo-European *peth₂-der.?
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*me
  2. Proto-Indo-European*dʰeh₁-?
  3. Proto-Indo-European*médʰi
  4. Proto-Indo-European*médʰyos
  5. Proto-Hellenic*métsos
  6. Ancient Greekμέσος (mésos)
  7. Proto-Indo-European*peth₂-der.?
  8. Ancient Greekποταμός (potamós)
  9. Ancient Greekμεσοποτάμῐος (mesopotámĭos)
  10. Ancient GreekΜεσοποταμίᾱ (Mesopotamíā)
  11. LatinMesopotamia
  12. English todayMesopotamia

From the Classical Latin Mesopotamia, from the Koine Greek Μεσοποταμία (Mesopotamía), a feminine substantive form of the adjective Μεσοποτάμιος (Mesopotámios, “between rivers”), from the Ancient Greek μέσος (mésos, “between”) + ποτᾰμός (potămós, “river”) + -ιος (-ios), so called because Mesopotamia is located between the rivers Euphrates and Tigris. The term is used as a translation of the Biblical Hebrew נַהֲרַיִם (naharáyim), the dual form of נָהָר (nahár, “river”).

Words from the same roots

Ancient Greekμέσος all →

mesomesonmesicmesialmeso-mesocarpmesodiplosismesogastermesolemesologymesophloeummesostichmesozeugmaomphalomesaraic

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.