Etymology

galangal

G2A1L1A1N1G2A1L1

Today it means: Any of several east Asian plants of genera Alpinia and Kaempferia in the ginger family, used as a spice, but principally Alpinia galanga. Full definition →

Middle English galyngale ← Old French galingal ← Arabic خَلَنْجَان
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The story

  1. Sanskrit · derived fromकुलञ्जन
  2. Persian · derived fromقولنجان
  3. Arabic · derived fromخَلَنْجَان
  4. Old French · derived fromgalingal
  5. Middle English · inherited fromgalyngale
  6. English todaygalangal

From Middle English galyngale, from Old French galingal, from Arabic خَلَنْجَان (ḵalanjān), from Persian قولنجان (qulenjân, qulanjân), from Sanskrit कुलञ्जन (kulañjana), perhaps from Chinese 高良薑/高良姜 (gāoliángjiāng), from 高涼 /高凉 (Gāoliáng) (a prefecture or county in China) + 薑 /姜 (jiāng, “ginger”).

Words from the same roots

Old Frenchgalingal all →

Arabicخَلَنْجَان all →

Persianقولنجان all →

Sanskritकुलञ्जन all →

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.