Syria is the Middle Eastern country whose capital is Damascus. Travel to Syria, born in Syria, the north of Syria.
Damascus is among the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The war that began in 2011 displaced over half the population, and the ancient site of Palmyra was deliberately damaged during it, which was recorded as a war crime.
1nounsyriaA country in the Middle East.
“Syria borders Turkey to the north and Iraq to the east.”
syria is a country.
akk
Aššūrāyu
Ancient Greek
Σῠρῐ́ᾱ
Latin
Sȳria
Middle English
Sirie
English
Syria
English, today
syria
Built from
Syria comes from Middle English Sirie, from Latin Sȳria, from Ancient Greek Σῠρῐ́ᾱ, Ἀσσυρία, from akk Aššūrāyu, from 𒀸𒋩 (“Assur”). The land corresponding to modern Syria was originally called Aram by its ancient inhabitants, the Arameans. After the Assyrian conquest of Aram, the Greeks applied the name Syria to this territory. Over time, Syria came to denote the broader Levant, while Assyria referred to Mesopotamia. Herodotus (5th century BCE) was among the earliest Greek authors to consistently distinguish Syria and Assyria. After his time, some classical writers occasionally blurred the distinction. Nevertheless, educated writers and administrative usage gradually preserved the distinction, with Syria referring to the Levant and Assyria to Mesopotamia.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA
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