Lebanon
/ˈlɛbənɒn/noun
A country on the eastern Mediterranean coast, known historically for the Lebanon mountain range.
Did you know?The name is linked to the Semitic root *l-b-n*, meaning “white,” likely referring to the mountains’ winter snow or pale limestone.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Semitic
*lbn
“White; the root associated with whiteness”
1st Millennium BCE
Phoenician
𐤋𐤁𐤍𐤍 (Lbnn)
“The Lebanon mountain range or region”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
לְבָנוֹן (Levanon)
“Lebanon; the “white” mountain country”
Ancient Greek
Greek
Λίβανος (Libanos)
“Lebanon; the mountain range”
Classical Latin
Latin
Libanus
“Mount Lebanon”
Modern English
English
Lebanon
“The modern country and historic mountain region”