Alaska (English)
Where does "Alaska" come from?
The name 'Alaska' entered English through the Russian 'Aljáska'[1]. This Russian term derives from the Aleut word 'alaxsxaq'[1]. Meaning 'mainland', the Aleut term is literally translated as 'that toward which the action of the sea is directed'[1]. It is composed of the root 'alag', meaning 'pertaining to the sea', alongside suffixes that characterize the object of an action[1].
Open questions
- The common attribution of the name to the Russian combination of 'ala' and the suffix 'skij' is incorrect. [1]
Full etymology tree
- Alaska (English), 'A state of the United States, formerly a territory. Capital: Juneau. Largest city: Anchorage. Postal code: AK.'
- derived Аляска (Aljáska) (Russian), 'Alaska (a state of the United States, formerly a territory)'
- derived alaxsxaq (Aleut)
- compound alag (Aleut)
- compound -sxaq (Aleut)
- derived alaxsxaq (Aleut)
- derived Аляска (Aljáska) (Russian), 'Alaska (a state of the United States, formerly a territory)'
Ancestors
- Аляска (Russian)
Descendants and derived words
- Alaska blackfish (English)
- Alaska Day (English)
- Alaska Daylight Time (English)
- Alaska hand (English)
- Alaska-Hawaii Time (English)
- Alaska-like (English)
- Alaskan (English)
- Alaskan (English)
- Alaskan English (English)
- Alaskan King (English)
- Alaska Panhandle (English)
- Alaska pollack (English)
Sources
Updated August 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris