Iraq
/ɪˈrɑːk/noun
A country in Western Asia, situated between Iran, Türkiye, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait.
Did you know?The name Iraq is sometimes connected to Uruk, one of the world’s first cities, but scholars also propose an Arabic or Middle Persian origin, so its ultimate etymology remains disputed.
Etymological Timeline
Late 4th millennium BCE
Sumerian
Unug
“The Sumerian name of the ancient city later known as Uruk.”
2nd–1st millennium BCE
Akkadian
Uruk
“The Akkadian form of the name of the major Mesopotamian city.”
Biblical antiquity
Hebrew
אֶרֶךְ (Erech)
“A biblical form of the city-name Uruk.”
Late antiquity
Middle Persian
ērāq
“A proposed source meaning something like lowland or lower region; this connection is debated.”
Early Islamic period
Arabic
العِرَاق (al-ʿIrāq)
“The Arabic geographical name for the region; its relationship to Uruk and the Persian term remains uncertain.”
Modern English
English
Iraq
“The standard English name of the modern state established in the twentieth century.”