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It means "Frank" not "French". It was originally used to describe western Europeans in general.
by zhemao 11y ago
It means "Frank" not "French". It was originally used to describe western Europeans in general.
- jdminhbg 11y ago"Frank" and "French" are essentially the same word: http://etymonline.com/index.php?term=French http://etymonline.com/index.php?term=French
- jhbadger 11y agoYes, but that was because French as a language/culture didn't exist. The historical Franks (including Charlemagne) despite living where France is now, actually spoke Frankish, a language related to German.
- jdminhbg 11y agoGP is talking about the people, not the language. "Frank" and "French" are two English words that refer to the same-ish people living in the same-ish part of Western Europe. Saying that a particular Hindi word means "Frank" not "French" is a distinction that doesn't really make sense in context.
- zhemao 11y agoSame-ish is not the same. That's like saying Anglo-Saxon and English mean the same thing. The distinction is important because the Persians never used that word to specifically refer to Frenchmen but rather to all western Europeans.
- jdminhbg 11y agoAnglo and English do in fact mean the same thing. They're the same word, pulled into and out of different languages at different times.