โลก (Thai)

Where does "โลก" come from?

The Thai word 'โลก' (lok) is a loanword derived from the Sanskrit 'loká', which originally carried a sense of an open, bright space. This Sanskrit term itself traces back to the Proto-Indo-European root '*lewk-', meaning 'to shine', connecting it to cognates like the English word 'lea' (an open meadow). Over time, the concept shifted from describing a cleared, light-filled opening to referring to the wider world and humanity we collectively inhabit.

Full etymology tree

• โลก (lôok) (Thai), 'land; country'
  • borrowed लोक (loká) (Sanskrit), 'free or open space'
    • inherited *lowkós (Proto-Indo-European), 'light space'
      • compound *lewk- (Proto-Indo-European), 'bright'
      • affix *-ós (Proto-Indo-European), 'Forms possessive adjectives from nouns.'

Ancestors

• लोक (Sanskrit)

Cognates and doublets

• လောက (Burmese)
• ໂລກ (Lao)

Descendants and derived words

• ขั้วโลก (Thai)
• ซีกโลก (Thai)
• ทั่วโลก (Thai)
• ทางโลก (Thai)
• เทวโลก (Thai)
• ปัญหาโลกแตก (Thai)
• เปลือกโลก (Thai)
• ภาวะโลกร้อน (Thai)
• ยมโลก (Thai)
• ลูกโลก (Thai)
• โลกทัศน์ (Thai)
• สงครามโลก (Thai)

Updated July 2026

More words starting with OTHER

Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris