Courland
/ˈkʊər.lənd/noun
A historical region in western Latvia, once a duchy on the Baltic Sea.
Did you know?Courland became the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia in 1561, and its rulers even tried to build overseas colonies, proving that small states can cast very long historical shadows.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Baltic
PB
*kur- / *kurš-
“An ancestral Baltic ethnonym likely connected to the Curonians, a Baltic people of the region.”
Ancient/Medieval Baltic
Baltic
Kuršiai / Kuri
“The Curonians, a Baltic tribe inhabiting the western coast of present-day Latvia and Lithuania.”
Latin
Latin
Curlandia
“A Latinized name for the land of the Curonians.”
Middle High German
MHG
Kurland
“The German name for the region, used by Baltic German and Hanseatic sources.”
Modern English
English
Courland
“The historical English name for the region and former duchy in western Latvia.”
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