Ghana
/ˈɡɑːnə/noun
A country in West Africa on the Gulf of Guinea.
Did you know?Modern Ghana took its name from the medieval Ghana Empire, but the word itself comes from the Soninke royal title meaning “warrior king,” not from the modern nation’s geography.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Mande / Soninke
Proto-Mande
*gana
“royal or warrior ruler (reconstructed title)”
Medieval West Africa
Soninke
ghana
“a title for a ruler or warrior king”
8th–13th Century
Arabic
Ghana
“the powerful West African empire known to Arabic geographers”
20th Century
English
Ghana
“the modern nation-state named after the historic empire”