Sumatra
/suːˈmɑː.trə/noun
A large Indonesian island in the western part of the archipelago.
Did you know?The name Sumatra is historically tied to the medieval kingdom of Samudra/Samudra Pasai, and the island’s name entered European languages through centuries of maritime trade and foreign transcription.
Etymological Timeline
Sanskrit (early first millennium CE)
Sanskrit
samudra
“the sea, ocean”
13th Century
Old Malay
Samudra
“a kingdom/state name associated with the northern Sumatran coast”
14th-15th Century
Malay/Arabic sources
Sumatra / Sumatrah
“the island as recorded by foreign travelers and scribes”
16th Century
Portuguese
Sumatra
“the island name in European maps and accounts”
Modern English
English
Sumatra
“the Indonesian island”