Lan Xang
/lɑːn sǎːŋ/noun
Lan Xang was a historic Lao kingdom in mainland Southeast Asia that existed from 1353 to 1707.
Did you know?The elephant was not merely symbolic: elephants were central to warfare, royal ceremony, transportation, and ideas of sovereignty in the Lan Xang kingdom.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Tai
Proto-Tai
*laan
“A million or a very large number; the precise reconstruction and semantics are debated.”
Proto-Tai
Proto-Tai
*tɕaŋ
“Elephant; the ancestor of related forms in several Tai languages.”
14th Century
Lao
ລ້ານຊ້າງ (Lān Xāng)
“Million Elephants; the royal name adopted for the Lao kingdom founded by Fa Ngum in 1353.”
14th–17th Centuries
Lao
Lan Xang
“The Kingdom of Lan Xang, a major Lao state centered in the Mekong region.”
1707
English historical usage
Lan Xang
“The unified kingdom fragmented into the successor kingdoms of Luang Prabang, Vientiane, and Champasak.”
Modern English
English
Lan Xang
“The conventional English name for the medieval and early modern Lao kingdom.”