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Have you ever wondered where the words we use every day originate from? Much like our families, friends, and traditions, our language has a unique and lengthy history.

Now you might be wondering, “What does this have to do with SafeStan?” Keep reading, and you’ll discover the answer.

You probably know where your coffee beans come from, but do you know the origin of the word coffee? It has a long and storied history. The word “coffee” originally began as “qahhwat-al-bun” meaning “wine of the bean” and slowly underwent translations to “qahwa” in Arabic, “kahveh” in Turkish, and then finally to “coffee” in English.The etymology of the word covfefe is still a mystery though.

Think about stilettos—those gorgeous high heel shoes that leave your feet feeling the pain. The word stiletto means dagger or very pointy knife in Italian. Makes sense, right?

Sometimes it’s better not to know the origin of certain words. Robotics is in the news a lot these days. Everyone loves robots, right?  Be warned though the word “robot” has sinister roots; it comes from the Slavic word “rob,” which means “slave.”

Just like humans, words are related, and languages belong to families. Next time you hear a foreign language, do not say “it’s all Greek to me.” Instead, listen for the words that may sound familiar to you. Hima, Kheima, and Hiems are all part of Indo European family of languages. Hima as in the Himalayas should give you a hint what Kheima and Hiems might mean.

The word “stan” has a long and storied history. Stan exists in many languages, with different translations but similar meanings: a place, a land, a country, a settlement, an apartment. Our name SafeStan essentially means a safe place or home.

My name is Andrea Kostovick, and I am a social media manager for safestan.com. Everyone deserves a safe and reliable home. Do your part and review your landlord today at safestan.com. Your review, be it good or bad will provide much-needed transparency in the home rental market.

P.S. Want to listen to the language humans might have spoken thousands of years ago? Give it a try at https://www.archaeology.org/exclusives/articles/1302-proto-indo-european-schleichers-fable. You should be able to recognize some of these ancient words.