Euphrates
juːˈfreɪtiːz
noun
Origin
Old Persian
Ufrātu — good crossing
Overview
Meaning Now
- A major river in Western Asia, which, together with the Tigris, defines the region of Mesopotamia.
Literal older meaning
that which makes fruitful; good crossing
Language path
Old Persian → Ancient Greek → English
Earliest form
Ufrātu
Earliest period
1st millennium BCE
Journey
The Euphrates is historically significant as one of the two main rivers that supported the development of ancient Mesopotamian civilizations, including Sumer, Akkad, Babylon, and Assyria. In the Bible, it is often referred to simply as 'the River'.
Evolution
- Proto-Indo-European
*h₁su-pr-etu-
“good crossing”
- Old Persian
Ufrātu
“the Euphrates river”
- Ancient Greek
Euphrátēs
“the Euphrates river”
Adapted through folk etymology to resemble Greek 'eu' (good) and 'phrázō' (to declare/point out).
- Middle English
Eufrates
“the river Euphrates”
Connections
Word parts
eu-
prefix
good, well
Related across languages
Sumerian
Buranun
the river
Akkadian
Purattu
the river
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External references use DefinedTerm semantics.