Updated on March 6, 2024
The horizon, a concept that has captivated humans for millennia, is the line at which the earth meets the sky. It represents the limit of our vision, a boundary that both separates and connects us to the vastness of the universe. This ever-present yet constantly changing phenomenon has been a source of inspiration for poets, painters, and philosophers alike.
Throughout history, the horizon has held great cultural significance. In ancient Greece, it was associated with the god Helios, who rose from the horizon each morning to bring light to the world. For the Indigenous peoples of Australia, the horizon is a sacred space where the physical and spiritual worlds meet. And in many modern cultures, the horizon symbolizes the promise of new horizons, new opportunities, and new beginnings.
Understanding the translation of the word 'horizon' in different languages can provide fascinating insights into how different cultures perceive and interact with this universal concept. Here are a few examples:
Afrikaans | horison | ||
The word 'horison' in Afrikaans originates from the Dutch word 'horizon', which means 'horizon' or 'sky-line'. | |||
Amharic | አድማስ | ||
The word "አድማስ" can also refer to "limit, border, boundary" or "end, edge". | |||
Hausa | sararin sama | ||
Hausa 'sararin sama' (horizon) combines 'sarari' (space) and 'sama' (sky) but has the dual meaning of either the point where the land meets the sky or the sky without the land. | |||
Igbo | mmiri | ||
"Mmiri" also denotes "the great waters," referring to either the sea or the sky. | |||
Malagasy | paravodilanitra | ||
The Malagasy word "paravodilanitra" literally means "the end of the sky." | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | m'maso | ||
The word "m'maso" in Nyanja is derived from the root word "maso," which means "eye" or "sight." | |||
Shona | kutenderera | ||
The word 'kutenderera' can also mean 'the place where the sun sets' in Shona. | |||
Somali | cirif | ||
The word "cirif" is also used in the sense of a boundary separating a geographical region from the surrounding environment. | |||
Sesotho | mahlo | ||
The word "mahlo" in Sesotho also refers to the end of the earth or the boundary between the earth and the sky. | |||
Swahili | upeo wa macho | ||
The Swahili word "upeo wa macho" literally translates to "the eye's edge". | |||
Xhosa | isibhakabhaka | ||
The word "isibhakabhaka" (horizon) in Xhosa literally means "the place where heaven meets earth." | |||
Yoruba | ipade | ||
The Yoruba word "ipade" also means "the place where the sun sets". | |||
Zulu | umkhathizwe | ||
The word umkhathizwe also refers to a large gathering or assembly of people. | |||
Bambara | horizon (horizon) ye | ||
Ewe | horizon (dziŋgɔli) (horizon). | ||
Kinyarwanda | horizon | ||
Lingala | horizon (horizon) oyo ezali | ||
Luganda | horizon (horizon) mu bbanga | ||
Sepedi | lebaka la go bona | ||
Twi (Akan) | horizon a ɛyɛ fɛ | ||
Arabic | الأفق | ||
The Arabic word "الأفق" has multiple meanings including "the visible boundary between earth and sky" and "a distant goal or aspiration". | |||
Hebrew | אופק | ||
The Hebrew word אופק (horizon) derives from the ancient root of facing or orientation, and can also refer to the east (where the sun rises) or the front of a line of soldiers. | |||
Pashto | افق | ||
The word "افق" is also used in Pashto to refer to "boundary" or "limit". | |||
Arabic | الأفق | ||
The Arabic word "الأفق" has multiple meanings including "the visible boundary between earth and sky" and "a distant goal or aspiration". |
Albanian | horizont | ||
The word "horizont" in Albanian derives from the Latin word "horizōn" meaning "dividing line". | |||
Basque | horizonte | ||
The word "horizonte" in Basque ultimately derives from the Spanish word "horizonte," which in turn comes from the Greek word "horizōn," meaning "dividing line" or "boundary." | |||
Catalan | horitzó | ||
The Catalan word "horitzó" comes from the Greek word "orizeiv," meaning to limit or separate. | |||
Croatian | horizont | ||
The word "horizont" in Croatian originated from the Greek word "horizōn", which means "a bounding line" or "a boundary between two things." | |||
Danish | horisont | ||
Horisont in Danish comes from the Greek words 'Oros', meaning mountains, and 'Zontos', meaning belt. | |||
Dutch | horizon | ||
"Horizon" in Dutch can also mean "view", or "scope". | |||
English | horizon | ||
The word 'horizon' derives from the Greek word 'horizein', meaning 'to bound' or 'to divide'. | |||
French | horizon | ||
The word "horizon" in French comes from the Greek word "horos", meaning "boundary" or "limit". | |||
Frisian | hoarizon | ||
Frisian's “hoarizon” also signifies a “boundary” between two different kinds of weather | |||
Galician | horizonte | ||
O termo 'horizonte' deriva do grego 'orizein', que significa 'limitar' ou 'definir'. | |||
German | horizont | ||
Horizont is a loanword from the Greek word 'orizein', meaning 'to delimit, separate, determine' | |||
Icelandic | sjóndeildarhringur | ||
Horizon in Icelandic is "sjóndeildarhringur," which literally translates to "circle of the division of sight." | |||
Irish | léaslíne | ||
The word "léaslíne" comes from the Old Irish word "leas," meaning "half," and "líne," meaning "line," referring to the half-line between the sky and the earth. | |||
Italian | orizzonte | ||
The word "orizzonte" comes from the Greek word "horizōn", meaning "boundary" or "dividing line." | |||
Luxembourgish | horizont | ||
Horizont in Luxembourgish can also refer to the horizon of a person's knowledge or understanding. | |||
Maltese | orizzont | ||
In architecture, 'orizzont' also means 'cornice' or 'eaves'. | |||
Norwegian | horisont | ||
Horisont, a Norwegian word for 'horizon', is cognate with the English word 'horizon' and ultimately derives from the Greek word 'horizōn', meaning 'dividing line' or 'boundary'. It is also related to the Norwegian word 'horisontal', meaning 'horizontal' and 'horizontal plane'. | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | horizonte | ||
In Portuguese, "horizonte" can also mean "expectation" or "goal" | |||
Scots Gaelic | fàire | ||
Fàire, meaning "horizon," derives from the Old Norse word "færi," meaning a path or course. | |||
Spanish | horizonte | ||
The word 'horizonte' comes from the Greek word 'horizōn' meaning 'dividing line' or 'boundary'. | |||
Swedish | horisont | ||
The word "horisont" also means "expectation" or "hope" in Swedish, indicating the sense of something waiting to be discovered or achieved on the horizon. | |||
Welsh | gorwel | ||
The Welsh word 'gorwel' can also mean 'a view' or 'a perspective'. |
Belarusian | гарызонт | ||
Гарызонт comes from the Greek 'horizōn', denoting the boundary of visible and invisible | |||
Bosnian | horizont | ||
The word "horizont" in Bosnian can also refer to a line separating day and night, or a limit beyond which something cannot be seen. | |||
Bulgarian | хоризонт | ||
The word "хоризонт" comes from the Greek word "horizōn", which means "boundary" or "dividing line". | |||
Czech | horizont | ||
Etymology of Czech "horizont": from Latin "horizon" from Greek "horizōn," meaning "boundary" or "separating" from present active participle of "horizein," "to bound" or "to separate". | |||
Estonian | silmapiiril | ||
"Silmapiiril" is also used to refer to the edge of something, such as a cliff or a forest. | |||
Finnish | horisontti | ||
The word "horisontti" is derived from the Greek word "horizōn", meaning "bounding" or "dividing line". It can also refer to the imaginary line that separates the Earth from the sky. | |||
Hungarian | horizont | ||
A szó a latin horizōn szóból származik, amely görög eredetű és "határát" vagy "elválasztást" jelent. | |||
Latvian | horizonts | ||
In Latvian, the word "apvārsnis" (horizon) has a broader meaning, encompassing not only the visible line between earth and sky but also the distant, invisible regions beyond it. | |||
Lithuanian | horizonto | ||
"Horizonto" in Lithuanian also means "a circle" or "a ring". | |||
Macedonian | хоризонт | ||
The word 'хоризонт' can also refer to perspective, reach or viewpoint, such as a political horizon. | |||
Polish | horyzont | ||
In Polish, the word 'horyzont' also refers to the line separating light from shade on an object. | |||
Romanian | orizont | ||
The word "orizont" may be borrowed not from French but from Italian "orizzonte," or Slavic *orzъ "border, edge," which in turn could be borrowed into Romanian from Hungarian "orizság." | |||
Russian | горизонт | ||
The word "горизонт" (horizon) in Russian also refers to the imaginary line that separates the visible part of the Earth from the invisible part. | |||
Serbian | хоризонт | ||
The word 'Хоризонт' is derived from the Greek 'horizōn' meaning 'dividing line', or the Latin 'horizonta' meaning 'bounding' or 'limiting'. | |||
Slovak | horizont | ||
The word "horizont" in Slovak comes from the Greek word "horizōn", which means "boundary". It can also refer to the "range of someone's knowledge or experience" or to a "level or plane of existence". | |||
Slovenian | obzorje | ||
The word 'obzorje' in Slovenian originates from the Proto-Slavic word '*obzorь' meaning 'view' or 'survey'. | |||
Ukrainian | горизонт | ||
The word "горизонт" comes from the Greek word "hórizōn", which means "dividing line". |
Bengali | দিগন্ত | ||
The word "দিগন্ত" can also mean "the end of the universe", "the boundary of the world" or "the limit of knowledge". | |||
Gujarati | ક્ષિતિજ | ||
The word "ક્ષિતિજ" (horizon) is derived from the Sanskrit word "क्षिति" (earth) and "इज" (to go), which literally means "the place where the earth meets the sky." | |||
Hindi | क्षितिज | ||
The Sanskrit word "क्षितिज" can also mean "the boundary between the earth and the sky" or "the point where the earth meets the sky." | |||
Kannada | ದಿಗಂತ | ||
The word 'ದಿಗಂತ' ('horizon') in Kannada also means 'the furthest point that can be seen' or 'the limit of one's knowledge or experience'. | |||
Malayalam | ചക്രവാളം | ||
The word 'ചക്രവാളം' is composed of two Sanskrit words, 'चक्र' (chakram, wheel) and 'वाल' (val, circumference) and means the circular boundary between earth and sky. | |||
Marathi | क्षितीज | ||
The Marathi word 'क्षितीज' literally means 'the end of the earth', highlighting its role as the boundary between the visible and the unknown. | |||
Nepali | क्षितिज | ||
The word 'क्षितिज' is derived from Sanskrit, where 'क्षिति' means 'earth' and 'अज' means 'edge' or 'limit', indicating the boundary between the earth and the sky. | |||
Punjabi | ਦੂਰੀ | ||
'ਦੂਰੀ' originates from the Sanskrit term 'dur', which can mean 'far away', 'distance', or 'remoteness' in English. | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ක්ෂිතිජය | ||
The word 'ක්ෂිතිජය' in Sinhala derives from Sanskrit and denotes not only the horizon, but also the boundary between land and water. | |||
Tamil | அடிவானம் | ||
The word "அடிவானம்" (horizon) in Tamil literally means "the base of the sky". | |||
Telugu | హోరిజోన్ | ||
The word "హోరిజోన్" (horizon) is derived from the Greek word "ὁρίζων" (horízon), meaning "boundary" or "limit"} | |||
Urdu | افق | ||
The word 'افق' in Urdu not only means 'horizon' but also refers to 'understanding' and 'knowledge'. |
Chinese (Simplified) | 地平线 | ||
"地平线"意为水平分割天空和地面的一条直线,亦指比喻的界限或分界线。 | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 地平線 | ||
在中文裡,「地平線」除了表示「視線與地面或海水交界處」之外,還引申出「事物或境界的極限」之意。 | |||
Japanese | 地平線 | ||
'地' (chi) means 'earth' and '平線' (heisen) means 'flat line' in Japanese. | |||
Korean | 수평선 | ||
The Korean word 수평선 (horizon) literally translates to 'horizontal line' or 'level line'. | |||
Mongolian | тэнгэрийн хаяа | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) | မိုးကုပ်စက်ဝိုင်း | ||
Indonesian | cakrawala | ||
The word "cakrawala" in Indonesian is derived from the Sanskrit word "chakravala", which means "circle of the sky". It can also refer to the circumference of the earth or the boundary between the earth and the sky. | |||
Javanese | cakrawala | ||
The Old Javanese word 'cakrabala' has meanings of 'circle' or 'wheel' and can refer to the horizon, the universe, or the zodiac. | |||
Khmer | ជើងមេឃ | ||
The word "ជើងមេឃ" (horizon) literally means "the foot of the clouds" in Khmer. | |||
Lao | ຂອບເຂດ | ||
The Lao word ຂອບເຂດ (khorb khèt) derives from the Pali language and literally means "the edge of a field". | |||
Malay | cakrawala | ||
In Old Malay, "cakrawala" also referred to a type of celestial sphere or the sky seen as a dome. | |||
Thai | ขอบฟ้า | ||
"ขอบฟ้า" means both "horizon" and "scope" or "limit" which is fitting as the horizon is the limit of our vision. | |||
Vietnamese | chân trời | ||
The word "chân trời" in Vietnamese can also mean "the end of the world" or "the limit of one's knowledge or experience." | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | abot-tanaw | ||
Azerbaijani | üfüq | ||
Üfüq can also mean "future," "prospect," or "vision" in Azerbaijani. | |||
Kazakh | көкжиек | ||
The Kazakh word "көкжиек" originally meant "blue seam" and referred to the edge of the sky where the blue of the sky meets the green of the earth. | |||
Kyrgyz | горизонт | ||
"Горизонт" (horizon) originated from the Persian word "gerew" (meaning "a place where one might see") and ultimately derives from the Greek word "hora" (meaning "hour"). | |||
Tajik | уфуқ | ||
The term “уфуқ” also denotes in Tajik language the edge between any two contrasting objects. | |||
Turkmen | gorizont | ||
Uzbek | ufq | ||
'Ufq' is also used as a metaphor for 'limit' or 'end' in Uzbek. | |||
Uyghur | ئۇپۇق | ||
Hawaiian | pae ʻāina | ||
The word "pae ʻāina" can also refer to the boundary between land and sea, or the area where the sky meets the earth. | |||
Maori | pae | ||
"Pae" can also mean the boundary, edge or margin of anything. | |||
Samoan | tafailagi | ||
The word 'tafailagi' is also used to refer to the 'boundary' or 'edge' of something. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | abot-tanaw | ||
The term "abot-tanaw" can also mean "limit" or "boundary" in a metaphorical sense, extending beyond just its literal meaning of "horizon". |
Aymara | horizonte ukat juk’ampinaka | ||
Guarani | horizonte rehegua | ||
Esperanto | horizonto | ||
Esp. "horizonto" (horizon) comes from Gr. "όρίζω" (to limit, to define) as it delineates the boundary between sky and earth. | |||
Latin | horizon | ||
The Latin word "horizon" also means "dividing line" or "boundary". |
Greek | ορίζοντας | ||
The Ancient Greek word "ὁρίζοντας" (horizon) also signifies a "border" or "boundary". | |||
Hmong | qab ntug | ||
There is no word for "horizon" in Hmong, but "qab ntug" literally means "the edge of the sky". | |||
Kurdish | asûman | ||
The word "asûman" in Kurdish also means "sky" or "heaven" and is derived from the Proto-Indo-European word "*h₂wes-u-" meaning "to shine". | |||
Turkish | ufuk | ||
"Ufuk" also means "hope, aspiration, anticipation" in Turkish. | |||
Xhosa | isibhakabhaka | ||
The word "isibhakabhaka" (horizon) in Xhosa literally means "the place where heaven meets earth." | |||
Yiddish | האָריזאָנט | ||
In Yiddish, האָריזאָנט (horizon) is a compound word meaning "the end of the world". Its usage sometimes implies an apocalyptic overtone. | |||
Zulu | umkhathizwe | ||
The word umkhathizwe also refers to a large gathering or assembly of people. | |||
Assamese | দিগন্ত | ||
Aymara | horizonte ukat juk’ampinaka | ||
Bhojpuri | क्षितिज के बा | ||
Dhivehi | ހޮރައިޒަން އެވެ | ||
Dogri | क्षितिज | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | abot-tanaw | ||
Guarani | horizonte rehegua | ||
Ilocano | horizon ti sanguanan | ||
Krio | ɔrayzin | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | ئاسۆ | ||
Maithili | क्षितिज | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯍꯣꯔꯥꯏꯖꯣꯟꯗꯥ ꯂꯩꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
Mizo | horizon (horizon) a ni | ||
Oromo | horizon jedhamuun beekama | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ରାଶି | ||
Quechua | horizonte nisqa | ||
Sanskrit | क्षितिजम् | ||
Tatar | офык | ||
Tigrinya | ኣድማስ ምዃኑ’ዩ። | ||
Tsonga | horizon ya xirhendzevutani | ||