Etymology

Middle Kingdom

Today it means: China. Full definition →

German Mittleres Reich
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Middle Kingdom · proper noun1

Calque from Chinese 中國／中国 (Zhōngguó).

Middle Kingdom · proper noun2

  1. German · calque ofMittleres Reich
  2. English todayMiddle Kingdom

Calque of German Mittleres Reich, eventually displacing Middle Empire, an older calque of the same term. Coined c. 1840 as part of a periodization of Ancient Egyptian history into Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.