ghat

Where does the word "ghat" come from? It comes from Sanskrit ghattah, passing through Hindi before entering English (1783).

Ghat’s story begins in Sanskrit: ghattah meant “a landing place, riverbank.” Meant 'landing place'. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Hindi as ghat. Came to mean steps down to a river, or a mountain pass. It reached English by 1783 as ghat. British travelers in India adopted the word for both riverside steps and mountain passes. Today, ghat means a set of steps leading down to a river (especially for bathing or cremation), or a mountain pass in South Asia.

1. Stage 1 · Sanskrit · ancient ghattah "a landing place, riverbank", meant 'landing place'.
2. Stage 2 · Hindi · medieval ghat "steps to a river, or a mountain pass", came to mean steps down to a river, or a mountain pass.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1783 ghat "a flight of steps to a river, or a mountain pass", British travelers in India adopted the word for both riverside steps and mountain passes.