Sepang
/səˈpɑːŋ/noun
A proper name used chiefly for a district and town in Selangor, Malaysia, and for the Malaysian Grand Prix circuit.
Did you know?Sepang is associated with the Malay name for sappanwood, a tree whose red heartwood was historically used as a dye and medicinal material, although the place-name derivation is not absolutely certain.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Sanskrit
Sanskrit
pataṅga
“A word associated with a red dye or red-colored substance; it is commonly proposed as the distant source of names for sappanwood.”
Medieval Malay
Malay
sepang
“The sappan tree or its red dye-producing wood.”
16th Century
Portuguese
sappão
“Sappanwood, obtained through Asian trade.”
16th–17th Century
European trade English
sappan
“A red dye wood imported from Southeast Asia.”
Modern English
English
Sepang
“A Malaysian place-name, especially the district and town in Selangor; its connection with the Malay plant name is traditional but not completely certain.”
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