Afghanistan
/ˌæf.ɡæn.ɪˈstæn/noun
A country in South and Central Asia.
Did you know?The name is ultimately tied to the ethnonym Afghan, historically used for the Pashtun people, and the modern state name was formalized in the 19th century as political borders hardened.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient/early historical
Iranian
*apāka- / related ethnonymic forms
“Early tribal or regional names in the Iranian world, later associated with the Afghan/Pashtun people”
Middle Persian
Pahlavi
Afgān / Avagān
“A name used for a people or tribe in the region”
10th Century
Persian
Afghān
“An ethnonym for Afghan people, especially the Pashtuns”
16th-18th Century
Persian/Urdu
Afghānistān
“The land or place of the Afghans”
19th Century
English
Afghanistan
“The established English name for the state and region”