Yellow River
/ˌjɛl.oʊ ˈrɪv.ər/noun
A major river in northern China whose sediment-rich waters give it a yellow-brown color.
Did you know?The Yellow River was historically called “China’s Sorrow” because devastating floods repeatedly changed its course and caused immense loss of life.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ǵʰel-
“To shine, be yellow or green; the ancient root behind “yellow,” “gold,” and related color words.”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*gelwaz
“Yellow or yellow-colored.”
Old English
Old English
geolu
“Yellow; the color of gold or ripe vegetation.”
Middle English
Middle English
yelow
“Yellow, developing into the modern English form.”
Classical Latin
Latin
rivus
“A stream or small river; the source of English “river” and the figurative sense behind “rival,” originally a person sharing a stream.”
12th–13th Century
Old French
riviere
“A river or flowing watercourse, borrowed into English.”
Modern English
English
Yellow River
“The established English name for China’s Huang He, named for its heavy yellow loess sediment.”