naan

Where does the word "naan" come from? It comes from Persian nan, passing through Hindi/Urdu before entering English (1900s).

Naan’s story begins in Persian: nan meant “bread.” The general Persian word for bread. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Hindi/Urdu as naan. Applied to the leavened flatbread baked in a tandoor. It reached English by 1900s as naan. Baked on the wall of a tandoor clay oven; a Persian word recorded by Amir Khusrau in the 1300s. Today, naan means a soft, leavened flatbread traditionally baked in a tandoor oven.

1. Stage 1 · Persian · medieval nan "bread", the general Persian word for bread.
2. Stage 2 · Hindi/Urdu · medieval naan "leavened flatbread", applied to the leavened flatbread baked in a tandoor.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1900s naan "a soft, leavened flatbread", baked on the wall of a tandoor clay oven; a Persian word recorded by Amir Khusrau in the 1300s.