The word map in various languages originates from two main etymological roots with a fascinating and diverse distribution.
The first root comes from the Latin mappa, meaning “cloth” or “napkin.” This word might have been of Punic origin originally. Some other languages also use this root are of course English map, but also Spanish (mapa), Ukrainian (мапа – mapa), and Czech (mapa).
The second root comes from the Greek khartes (χάρτης), meaning “papyrus” This root is found in English words like chart or card. With the meaning of “map,” we can find this root in German (Karte), Russian (карта – karta), and Arabic (خارطة – khāriṭa).
The third group of words is very diverse, as these languages have developed their own terms for “map,” often as neologisms. Examples include Slovenian (zemljevid), Hungarian (térkép), and Lithuanian (žemėlapis). The meanings of these words are both intriguing and amusing. In Lithuanian (žemėlapis), it similarly combines “earth” (žemė) with “page” (lapis), similarly in Slovenian (zemljevid), the term translates to “earth view” or “earth look,”. Meanwhile, Hungarian merges the words for “area” (tér) and “picture” (kép).
