deodar

Where does the word "deodar" come from? It comes from Sanskrit devadaru, passing through Hindi before entering English (1804).

Deodar’s story begins in Sanskrit: devadaru meant “wood of the gods.” Compound of 'god' and 'wood, tree'. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Hindi as deodar. The everyday name for the sacred Himalayan cedar. It reached English by 1804 as deodar. British botanists in India adopted the name for the tree. Today, deodar means a large cedar tree native to the western Himalayas, valued for its fragrant, durable timber.

1. Stage 1 · Sanskrit · ancient devadaru "wood of the gods", compound of 'god' and 'wood, tree'.
2. Stage 2 · Hindi · medieval deodar "the Himalayan cedar tree", the everyday name for the sacred Himalayan cedar.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1804 deodar "a large Himalayan cedar valued for its timber", British botanists in India adopted the name for the tree.