Transylvania
/ˌtræn.sɪlˈveɪ.ni.ə/noun
A historical region in central Romania, east of the Apuseni Mountains.
Did you know?The name is first recorded in medieval Latin as a geographic label, and its eerie vampire fame came centuries later from literature, not from the word’s original meaning.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
Transsilvania
“The land beyond the forest”
11th–12th Century
Latin
ultra silvam / trans silvam
“Beyond the forest”
Medieval Hungarian
Hungarian/Latin
Erdőelve / Transsilvania
“The region beyond the forest”
16th Century
Latin
Transylvania
“A standard learned name for the region”
Modern English
English
Transylvania
“The Transylvanian region of Romania”
Explore more surprising origins