Nīla
/ˈniː.lə/noun
A term of Sanskrit origin meaning blue, dark blue, or indigo, also used in English in names and South Asian cultural contexts.
Did you know?In Hindu tradition, Nīla appears in names such as Nīlakantha, “blue-throated,” an epithet of Shiva associated with the poison he swallowed to save the cosmos.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-Iranian
PII
*nīla-
“Dark blue or blue-black; the reconstructed ancestor of the Sanskrit color term”
Ancient Sanskrit
Sanskrit
nīla
“Blue, dark-colored, or indigo”
Classical Sanskrit
Sanskrit
nīla
“Blue pigment or indigo, as well as the color blue”
Medieval Arabic
Arabic
an-nīl
“The indigo plant or indigo dye; literally “the indigo””
13th–14th Century
Old Spanish/Portuguese
anil
“Indigo dye, borrowed through Arabic trade networks”
17th Century
English
anil
“Indigo, especially the dye obtained from indigo plants”
Modern English
English
nīla/nila
“A Sanskrit-derived term meaning blue or indigo, chiefly preserved in names and specialized usage”