basmati

Where does the word "basmati" come from? It comes from Sanskrit vasmati, passing through Hindi/Punjabi before entering English (1900s).

Basmati’s story begins in Sanskrit: vasmati meant “fragrant.” Literally "fragrant", describing the aromatic rice. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Hindi/Punjabi as basmati. The name for the long-grain aromatic rice variety. It reached English by 1900s as basmati. First recorded in 1845 in Henry Miers Elliot's glossary of Indian terms, compiled for British administrators; grown in the Punjab foothills of the Himalaya. Today, basmati means a variety of long-grain, aromatic rice from South Asia.

1. Stage 1 · Sanskrit · ancient vasmati "fragrant", literally "fragrant", describing the aromatic rice.
2. Stage 2 · Hindi/Punjabi · medieval basmati "fragrant long-grain rice", the name for the long-grain aromatic rice variety.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1900s basmati "a fragrant, long-grain rice", first recorded in 1845 in Henry Miers Elliot's glossary of Indian terms, compiled for British administrators; grown in the Punjab foothills of the Himalaya.