Transylvania
Meanings
- A historical region in western Romania.
Pronunciation
Word forms
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *terh₂- Proto-Indo-European *-t Proto-Indo-European *térh₂t Proto-Indo-European *-ónts Proto-Indo-European *tr̥h₂ónts Proto-Indo-European *tr̥h₂n̥ts Proto-Italic *trāns Proto-Italic *trāns- Medieval Latin trans- Medieval Latin silva Proto-Indo-European *-nós Proto-Italic *-nos Medieval Latin -nus Medieval Latin silvānus Proto-Indo-European *-yós Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Medieval Latin -ius Medieval Latin -ia ▲ Old Hungarian Erdeuelucalq. Medieval Latin Trānsylvānialbor. English Transylvania Learned borrowing from Medieval Latin Trānsylvānia, alternative spelling of Trānssilvānia, from trāns (“across”) + silvānus (“forest”, relational adjective) + -ia (abstract noun suffix), i.e. “region across the forest”, a calque of Hungarian Erdély, from erdő (“forest”) + elv/elü (“region beyond”). By surface analysis, tran- + sylvan + -ia.