Pakistan
/ˌpɑːkɪˈstɑːn/noun
A country in South Asia, established in 1947.
Did you know?The name was coined in the 1930s by Choudhry Rahmat Ali as a political acronym, but its final element also echoes the Persian suffix -stan, meaning “place of” or “land,” making the word feel older and more mystical than it actually is.
Etymological Timeline
1933
English
Pakistan
“A proposed name for a future Muslim homeland in South Asia, coined as a political term.”
Persian
Persian
-stan
“A place or land; a region inhabited by a people.”
Persian
Persian
pāk
“Pure, clean, undefiled.”
1930s
English
Pakistan
“A constructed name combining elements associated with the regions and peoples of the proposed state.”
1947
English
Pakistan
“The independent state created in South Asia.”
Explore more surprising origins