pilaf (English)
Where does "pilaf" come from?
The English noun 'pilaf' traveled through several languages and regions before reaching its current form[1]. English derived the word from the Ottoman Turkish 'پلاو' and modern Turkish 'pilav'[1], which came from Classical Persian 'pilāw'[1]. The Persian term traces further back through Hindi 'पुलाव' and Urdu 'پُلاؤ'[1], originating ultimately from Sanskrit 'पुलाक'[1], a term for a kind of boiled rice or aborted grain. Scholars note that the Sanskrit word itself is likely of Dravidian origin[1][3], with comparative forms such as Tamil 'புழுக்கு'[1], meaning 'cooked rice'.
Open questions
- The ultimate derivation of the Sanskrit term from a Dravidian source is considered probable rather than certain. [1] [2] [3] [4]
Full etymology tree
- pilaf (English), 'A dish made by browning grain, typically rice, in oil and then cooking it with a seasoned broth, to which meat and/or vegetables may be added.'
- borrowed پلاو (pilâv) (Ottoman Turkish), 'pilaf, a dish made by browning rice in oil and then cooking it with a seasoned broth'
- inherited پلاو (pilāw) (Classical Persian)
- borrowed पुलाव (pulāv) (Hindi), 'pulao'
- inherited *𑀧𑀼𑀮𑀸𑀕 (*pulāga) (Sauraseni Prakrit)
- inherited पुलाक (pulāka) (Sanskrit), 'a lump of boiled rice'
- derived Dravidian (Dravidian)
- inherited पुलाक (pulāka) (Sanskrit), 'a lump of boiled rice'
- inherited *𑀧𑀼𑀮𑀸𑀕 (*pulāga) (Sauraseni Prakrit)
- borrowed पुलाव (pulāv) (Hindi), 'pulao'
- inherited پلاو (pilāw) (Classical Persian)
- borrowed پلاو (pilâv) (Ottoman Turkish), 'pilaf, a dish made by browning rice in oil and then cooking it with a seasoned broth'
Ancestors
- پلاو (Ottoman Turkish)
- پلاو (Persian)
- पुलाव (Hindi)
- पुलाक (Sanskrit)
Cognates and doublets
- pilav (Turkish)
Sources
- pilaf (English) - Wiktionary
- پلاو (pilâv) (Ottoman Turkish) - Wiktionary
- पुलाक (pulāka) (Sanskrit) - Wiktionary
- पुलाव (pulāv) (Hindi) - Wiktionary
Updated August 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris