from Latin Syria, from Greek Syria, from Syrioi "the Syrians," a name given originally to the Assyrians (Herodotus vii.63), a shortened form of Assyrioi "Assyrians" (see Assyria). Related: Syrian.
Entries linking to syria
Assyria
Middle English, from Latin Assyria, from Greek Assyria, short for Assyria ge "the Assyrian land," from fem. of Assyrios "pertaining to Assyria," from Akkadian Ashshur, name of the chief city of the kingdom and also of a god, probably from Assyrian sar "prince." Compare Syria. Related: Assyrian.
Syriac adj.
c. 1600, from Latin syriacus, from Greek syriakos "Syrian, of or pertaining to Syria" (see Syria). As the name of an ancient Semitic language, from 1610s.