Etymology Map
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Sepoy

4 stages from Persian to English.

Today it means historically, a native Indian soldier serving under British or other European military command

Where does the word "sepoy" come from? It comes from Persian sipah, passing through Urdu and Portuguese before entering English (1717).

1
Stage 1 of 4
sipah
Persian · medieval
"army, soldier"
meant "army"; sipahi meant "soldier, horseman"
2
Stage 2 of 4
sipahi
Urdu · 1500s
"soldier"
kept the military sense in Mughal India
3
Stage 3 of 4
sipae
Portuguese · 1600s
"native soldier"
colonial traders used it for locally recruited soldiers
4
Stage 4 of 4
sepoy
English · 1717
"Indian soldier in European service"
adopted by the British to describe Indian soldiers serving under their command
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