Ethiopic
/ˌiː.θiˈɒp.ɪk/noun
Relating to Ethiopia or, historically, to the Ethiopic language and script.
Did you know?In classical Greek, Aithiops was a descriptive ethnonym tied to appearance and geography, and later European scholars used “Ethiopic” for the sacred Geʿez script of Ethiopian Christianity, giving the word a scholarly aura far beyond its original meaning.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₂eydʰ-
“to burn, blaze”
Ancient Greek
Greek
Αἰθίοψ (Aithiops)
“an Ethiopian; literally a person with a burned or sun-darkened face”
Late Greek
Greek
Αἰθιοπικός (Aithiopikos)
“Ethiopian; pertaining to Ethiopia”
Late Latin
Latin
Aethiopicus
“Ethiopian; of Ethiopia”
Middle English
English
Ethiopik / Ethiopic
“Ethiopian; later, relating to the Ethiopic language or script”
Modern English
English
Ethiopic
“Relating to Ethiopia or the Ethiopic language/script”