Advertisement

Origin and history of Japan

Japan

1570s, via Portuguese Japao, Dutch Japan, acquired in Malacca from Malay (Austronesian) Japang, from Chinese jih pun, literally "sunrise" (equivalent of Japanese Nippon), from jih "sun" + pun "origin." Japan lies to the east of China. Earliest form in Europe was Marco Polo's Chipangu.

japan(v.)

"to coat with lacquer or varnish" in the manner of Japanese lacquer-work, 1680s, from Japan. Related: japanned; japanning. Hence also japonaiserie (1896, from French). Japanned work being generally black, japanned took on a slang sense of "ordained into the priesthood."

also from 1680s

Entries linking to Japan

Japanese(adj.)

1580s, Iapones; see Japan + -ese. As a noun from c. 1600; meaning "the Japanese language" is from 1828. As nouns Purchas has Iaponite (1613), Hakluyt Japonian. The destructive Japanese beetle attested from 1919, accidentally introduced in U.S. 1916 in larval stage in a shipment of Japanese iris.

Japanesque(adj.)

1853, from Japan + -esque. In reference to aesthetics inspired by Japanese influence.

japonica(n.)

"camellia," 1819, Modern Latin, fem. of japonicus "Japanese, of Japan," from Japon, a variant of Japan with a vowel closer to the Japanese name.

    Advertisement

    More to explore

    prius
    The hybrid car (with a capital P- ) debuted in 1997 in Japan, 2001 in U.S. and Europe....
    hunky-dory
    A theory from 1876, however, traces it to Honcho dori, said to be a street in Yokohama, Japan, where sailors went for diversions...
    victory
    ("victory in Japan") days in World War II were first used Sept. 2, 1944, by James F....
    chopstick
    also chop-stick, "small stick of wood or ivory used in pairs in eating in China, Korea, Japan," 1690s, sailors' partial translation...
    tycoon
    1857, title given by foreigners to the shogun of Japan (said to have been used by his supporters when addressing foreigners...
    martial
    Martial arts (1909) as a collective name for the fighting sports of Japan and the surrounding region translates Japanese...
    mako
    "large blue shark," listed as 1727 in OED, from "The History of Japan," English translation of Engelbert Kaempfer's German...
    pacific
    1540s, "tending to make peace, concillatory," from French pacifique, from Latin pacificus "peaceful, peace-making," from pax (genitive pacis) "peace" (see peace) + combining form of facere "to make" (from PIE root *dhe- "to set, put"). Meaning "peaceful, characterized by peace or
    quench
    Middle English quenchen, "to extinguish, put out" (heat, light, fire, also of desire, hunger, thirst), also figurative, "to bring to naught, eliminate, render ineffectual" (c. 1200), Old English acwencan "to quench" (of fire, light), from Proto-Germanic *kwenkjanan, probably a ca
    communicate
    1520s, "to impart (information, etc.); to give or transmit (a quality, feeling, etc.) to another," from Latin communicatus, past participle of communicare "to share, communicate, impart, inform," literally "to make common," related to communis "common, public, general" (see commo

    Share Japan

    Advertisement
    Trending
    Dictionary entries near Japan
    Advertisement