Sinic
/ˈsaɪ.nɪk/noun
Relating to China, its people, languages, or civilization.
Did you know?The international name for China is widely connected to Qin, the dynasty that unified China in the third century BCE, though the exact transmission route remains debated.
Etymological Timeline
3rd Century BCE
Old Chinese
Qin
“The name of the Qin state and dynasty, traditionally reconstructed as something like *dzin.”
1st Millennium BCE–1st Millennium CE
Sanskrit
Cīna
“A foreign name for China, probably associated with Qin or an early northwestern Chinese polity.”
4th Century BCE–1st Century CE
Greek
Sḗres / Sínae
“Greek geographical names used for peoples or lands far to the east; the precise relationship to China is debated.”
1st Century BCE–1st Century CE
Latin
Sinae
“A Latin name for China or the Chinese people, borrowed through Greek geographical terminology.”
Late Latin
Latin
Sīnĭcus
“Chinese or relating to China; the adjective formed from Sinae.”
19th Century
English
Sinic
“Relating to China, adopted as a learned English adjective from Latin Sinicus.”