godown

Where does the word "godown" come from? It comes from Tamil kidangu, passing through Malay and Portuguese before entering English (late 1500s).

Godown’s story begins in Tamil: kidangu meant “a storeroom, warehouse.” Meant 'a place where goods lie', a storeroom. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Malay as gudang. Adopted the South Indian word for a warehouse. From there it passed into Portuguese as gudão by 1552. Portuguese traders in Asia recorded the word. It reached English by late 1500s as godown. British East India Company officers adopted the word. Today, godown means a warehouse or storeroom, a term still used in parts of South and East Asia.

1. Stage 1 · Tamil · medieval kidangu "a storeroom, warehouse", meant 'a place where goods lie', a storeroom.
2. Stage 2 · Malay · medieval gudang "a warehouse", adopted the South Indian word for a warehouse.
3. Stage 3 · Portuguese · 1552 gudão "a warehouse", Portuguese traders in Asia recorded the word.
4. Stage 4 · English · late 1500s godown "a warehouse or storeroom, especially in South and East Asia", British East India Company officers adopted the word.