china

Where does the word "china" come from? It comes from Chinese Qin, and was adopted directly into English (1500s-1600s).

China’s story begins in Chinese: Qin meant “the Qin dynasty.” The name of the dynasty that first unified China, source of the country's Western name. It reached English by 1500s-1600s as China. Fine porcelain imported from China took on the country's name. Today, china means fine porcelain tableware, named after the country where it originated.

1. Stage 1 · Chinese · ancient Qin "the Qin dynasty", the name of the dynasty that first unified China, source of the country's Western name.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1500s-1600s China "fine porcelain ware", fine porcelain imported from China took on the country's name.