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{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2018}}
Though the precise [[Etymology]] of [[Assam]], a state in [[India]] is unclear—there is general agreement that it is related to the [[Ahom people]].<ref name="Masica 1993 50">"Ahoms also gave Assam and its language their name (''Ahom'' and the modern ''ɒχɒm'' 'Assam' come from an attested earlier form ''asam'', ''acam'', probably from a Burmese corruption of the word ''Shan/Shyam'', cf. ''Siam'': Kakati 1962; 1-4)." {{harv|Masica|1993|p=50}}</ref> Whatever the source of the English name, ''Assam'' is itself an anglicization.<ref>Das, Bhuban Mohan (1987) "The Peoples of Assam" [https://books.google.com/books?id=wcIOc0YaxGEC&pg=PA23 p23] "The modern name Assam is an anglicised form of the Assamese name Asom"</ref>

==Scholarly views==
John Peter Wade (1805) called the [[Ahom kingdom]], that commenced on the Konder Chokey, "Kingdom of Assam".<ref name=wade1805>"The Kingdom of Assam, where it is entered from Bengal, commences on the north of the Berhampooter, at the Khonder Chokey, nearly opposite to the picturesque estate of the late Mr Raush at Goalpara; and at the Nagrabaree Hill on the South", Wade, Dr John Peter, (1805) "[https://books.google.com/books?id=WItJAAAAMAAJ&pg=RA2-PA116 A Geographical Sketch of Assam]" in Asiatic Annual Register, reprinted {{harv|Sharma|1972|p=341}}</ref> Some have speculated that the Bodo word "Ha-com" meaning low land was Sanskritised to 'Asama', dating its origin to at least first millennium common era.<ref name="Subir Ghosh 2001, Page 20">Subir Ghosh, ''Frontier travails: Northeast, the politics of a mess'', 2001, Page 20 the word may have been borrowed from a Boro formation like Ha-som, meaning low land. If this derivation is correct, the name Asama may go back to a period long before the coming of the Shans/Ahoms. It appears, therefore, reasonable to suggest that the Sanskrit formation, Asama, is based on Ha-com</ref> While some believe the name Asama is a Sanskrit originated word which means unparalleled because of its unequal terrain with hills interspersed with valleys<ref>Sujata Miri, ''Communalism in Assam: a civilizational approach'', 1993, Page 31 It is said to be an anglicised version of the Sanskrit word "Asama" meaning "unparalleled" because of its unequal terrain with hills interspersed with valleys."</ref>

[[Banikanta Kakati]] quotes Grierson in [[Linguistic Survey of India]]<ref name="Sarma 1976 1">{{harv|Sarma|1976|p=1}}</ref> that "While the Shan called themselves Tai, they came to be referred to as ''Āsām'', ''Āsam'' and sometimes as ''Acam'' by the indigenous people of the country. The modern Assamese word ''Āhom'' by which the Tai people are known is derived from ''Āsām'' or ''Āsam''. The epithet applied to the Shan conquerors was subsequently transferred to the country over which they ruled and thus the name Kāmarūpa was replaced by Āsām, which ultimately took the Sanskritized form ''Asama'', meaning "unequalled, peerless or uneven"<ref>{{harv|Kakati|1941|p=2}}</ref> Satyendranath Sarma repeats this derivation while quoting Kakati.<ref>"{{harvcol|Sarma|1976|p=1}}</ref> Colin Masica too endorses this view.<ref>{{harvcol|Masica|1993|p=50}}</ref>

Satyendra Nath Sarma writes "Assamese is the easternmost Indo-Aryan language of India, spoken by nearly eight millions of people inhabiting mostly the Brahmaputra valley of Assam. The word Assamese is an English formation built on the same principle as Simhalese or Canarese etc. It is based on the English word Assam by which the British rulers referred to the tract covered by the Brahmaputra valley and its adjoining areas. But the people call their country Asama and their language Asamiya".
<ref>Satyendranath Sarma, 1976</ref>

==Early names==
=== Kamarupa ===
The earliest epigraphic mention of the Assam region comes from [[Samudragupta]]'s [[Allahabad Pillar|Allahabad stone pillar]] from the fourth century CE, where it is called ''[[Kamarupa]]''. The pillar lists the frontier kingdoms (''pratyanta nripati'') and lists Kamarupa ([[Western Assam]]) along with [[Davaka]], a region in the central Assam (undivided Nagaon district).<ref>{{harv|Sharma|1978|p=0.15}}</ref> Therefore, during the fourth century, the eastern boundary of the Kamarupa did not extend beyond west Assam. The ''[[Kalika Purana]]'' (10th century) and the ''[[Yogini Tantra]]'' (16th/17th century) refer to Kamarupa as a kingdom from Karatoya in the west to Dikkaravasini in the east. Dikkaravasini is identified with present-day Sadiya.<ref>{{harv|Sircar|1971|p=163}}</ref> The copper-plate inscription from [[Pala dynasty (Kamarupa)|Vaidyadeva]] calls Kamarupa a ''mandala'' within his own kingdom. Later epigraphic sources from Assam call the kingdom ''Pragjyotisha-Kamarupa''. In the early twelfth century, epigraphic sources from the [[Pala dynasty (Kamarupa)|Pala dynasty]] mention Kamarupa as a ''mandala'' of the kingdom they ruled. The invasion of western Assam by Allauddin Hussein of [[Gaur, West Bengal|Gaur]] up to [[Barnadi River|Barnadi]] river in 1498 is recorded in coins from the early sixteenth century, declaring Hussein as the conqueror of ''Kamru'' (Kamrup) (and not ''Assam''). The Kamarupa kings called themselves the ''Maharajadhiraja'' of Pragjyotisha. One of the kings Vaidyadeva, referred to Pragjyotisha as a ''bhukti'' and Kamarupa as a ''mandala'' (a smaller division, possibly within Pragjyotisha).<ref>{{harv|Sharma|1978|p=286}}</ref>

==Asam and variations==
Assam, Asam and other variations started appearing in relatively recent times, and their uses cannot be attributed to any period earlier than the sixteenth century,<ref name="Neog 1962 1">{{harv|Neog|1962|p=1}}</ref> and is associated with the Shan invaders.<ref>"The word Assam was connected with th!' Shan invaders of the Brahmaputra Valley" {{harvcol|Kakati|1941|p=1}}</ref> The names appeared primarily in three different scripts: the Assamese, Persian and the Roman scripts. The sixteenth century is the period when [[Srimanta Sankardeva]] established his [[Ekasarana Dharma]]. This was accompanied by a profusive production in literature. At the same time, [[Vishwa Singha]] established the [[Koch kingdom]] in the west and the [[Ahom kingdom]] saw both a rapid expansion in territory and an increasing Hindu and Assamese influence in its court under [[Suhungmung]]. This increased prominence of the Ahom kingdom brought it to the attention of those outside the Brahmaputra valley.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Source !! Period !! Refer to
|-
| ''Asama'' || Bhagavata of Sankadeva || early 16th century || Ahom community<ref>"The Ahoms are here (Bhagavata II v 474) referred to as 'Asama'" {{harv|Neog|1980|p=75}}</ref><ref>{{harvcol|Taher|2001|p=2}}</ref>
|-
| ''Asama'' || Darrangraj Vamshavali || 16th century || Ahom community<ref name=kakati41_darrang>"In ''Darrang Rāj Vaṃśabali'', a chronicle of the Koch kings by ''Sũryya Khari Daibajña'' composed in the sixteenth century, the word ''Āsām'' has all through been employed as a term of reference to the conquering Shans." {{harvcol|Kakati|1941|pp=1–2}}</ref>
|-
| ''Asham'' || Ain-i-Akbari || late 16th century || Ahom kingdom
|-
| ''Āsām'', ''Āsam'', ''Asam'' ||''Sankar-carit'' || 17th century || Ahom community<ref name=kakati41_carit>In ''Sankar Carit'', by Daityari Thakur of the
seventeenth century, the Shans have been variously designated
as ''Āsām'', ''Āsam'', ''Asam''. {{harvcol|Kakati|1941|p=2}}</ref>
|-
| ''Assam'' || Joh van Leenen || 1661 || Ahom kingdom
|-
| ''Aſem'' || John Baptiste Tavernier || 1678 || Ahom kingdom
|-
| ''Acham'' ||A Geographical Account of Countries around Bay of Bengal || c1679 || Ahom kingdom
|-
| ''Acamakshara'' || CP grant of Rajeswar Singha || 1764 || Ahom script
|-
| ''Asamkshara'' || CP grant of Lakshmi Singha || 1773 || Ahom script
|-
| ''Assam'' || "A Geographical Sketch of Assam"<ref name=wade1805/> || 1805 || Ahom kingdom
|-
| ''Assam'' ||Treaty of Yandabo || 1826 || North East India (Minus Tripura and Manipur)
|-
|}

===Local forms===
Locally, Vaishnavite writers and biographers used different forms of the name indiscriminately (e.g. Āsām, Āsam, Asam) to refer to the Ahom community.<ref name="Neog 1962 1"/> The earliest mention of ''Asama'' is found in the [[Assamese language|Assamese]] [[Bhagavat of Sankardeva]], which was composed in early sixteenth century.<ref>"Sankardeva, in one of his verses, composed in the early sixteenth century, while referring to the castes and communities of the then Assam used the term Axom to mean the Ahom." {{harv|Taher|2001|p=2}}</ref> The relevant stanza<ref>Srimandbhagavat, skandha 2, H Dattabaruah and Co., Nalbari, pp-38</ref> is (in [http://www.aczoom.com/itrans/#itransencoding iTrans]):
<poem>
''kiraTa kachhaari khaachi gaaro miri''
''yavana ka~Nka govaala |''
''asama maluka<ref>"The Ahoms are here referred to as 'Asama'...The term 'Maluk' remains unidentified unless we take it to mean the variety of tribes in the north-eastern part of the country." {{harv|Neog|1980|p=75}}</ref> dhobaa ye turuka''
''kubaacha mlechchha chaNDaala ||''
</poem>
The Ahoms were called ''Asam'' in the eighteenth century ''Darrangraj Vamshavali'' of Suryya Khari Daibajna;<ref name=kakati41_darrang/> variously as ''Āsām'', ''Āsam'', and ''Asam'' in the seventeenth century ''Shankar-carit'' of Daityari Thakur;<ref name=kakati41_carit/> and ''Acam'' in ''Kamrupar Buranji''.<ref>{{harv|Kakati|1941|p=2}}</ref> According to a count provided by {{harv|Bhuyan|1930}}, the ''Kamrupar Buranji'' names the country some thirty times, of which ''Āsām'' was used three times, ''Ācam'' was used three times, and ''Ācām'' was used for the rest, though in other Buranjis other spellings are also seen.<ref>{{harv|Bhuyan|1930|pp=a6-a7}}. (The page numbering in this section follows an archaic Assamese numeral.)</ref> Furthermore, Bhuyan mentions that though both "{{lang|as|স}}" (''s'') and "{{lang|as|চ}}" (''c'') have been used in the name, it is likely that it was pronounced mostly with {{angbr IPA|s}}.<ref>{{harv|Bhuyan|1930|p=a7}}. (The page numbering in this section follows an archaic Assamese numeral.)</ref>

The name ''asama'' (as well as ''acam'', ''asam'', ''asam'', ''asam'') was used in the form ''asamakshara'' to denote the [[Ahom script]] in Sanskrit-Ahom bilingual copper plate grants of the Ahom kings.<ref>In general these copper plates have inscriptions in Sanskrit on one side and in the [[Ahom language]] on the other. At the end of the Sanskrit side of the plate, there would be a reference to look on the other side for the same text in Ahom script (''asamaksara''). For example, ''etadartha-vijnapakam-acamaksarena-paraprasthe'' (the same meaning is carried by what is rendered in acamaksarena on the other page); ''etadarthakam-asamksaram-etad-apara-prstha'' (to get this meaning in asamksara, it is there on the other page) {{Harv|Bora|1981|pp=11–12}}</ref>

{|class="wikitable"
|+Local Forms in the Buranjis<ref>{{harvcol|Bhuyan|1930|p=xiv}}</ref>
! Local Form
! In Kamrupar Buranji
|- style="text-align:center"
|{{lang|as|আচাম}}
|24
|- style="text-align:center"
|{{lang|as|আসাম}}
| 3
|- style="text-align:center"
|{{lang|as|আচম}}
| 3
|- style="text-align:center"
|{{lang|as|অসম}}
| 0
|- style="text-align:center"
|{{lang|as|অচম}}
|0
|- style="text-align:center"
|{{lang|as|ৱচম}}
|0
|}

===Mughal forms===
As opposed to the local uses, where ''Asam'' and similar formations were used to denote the Ahom community, external sources used variations of ''Asam'' to denote the kingdom ruled by the Ahoms. The Ain-I-Akbari of the sixteenth century uses the form ''Asham'' (آشام) to denote the Ahom kingdom.<ref>"The dominions of the rajah of Asham [{{lang|ur|آشام}}] join to Kaumvrou:" Ain-i-Akbari. Note that the 1777 translation of the Ain-i-Akbari uses the [[long s]] in place of "s" in "Asham"</ref> The official chronicler of [[Mir Jumla II|Mir Jumla]] also calls the place "Asam".<ref>The Indian Antiquary, July 1887, pp222-226</ref>

===European forms===
The earliest Europeans who came in contact with Assam (and who had the opportunity to write the name in the Latin script), were travelers who went to Bengal and adventurers who accompanied military expeditions against the Ahom kingdom; these groups used variations of the name ''Asam'' to denote the kingdom.
In a map of [http://www.indiawijzer.nl/links/assam/map_of_bengale.jpg "Kingdom of Bengale"], drawn by Joh. van Leenen around 1661 and published around 1662, Assam was clearly named and correctly identified.<ref>"Vervarelijke Schipbreuk Van't Oostindisch Jacht Terschilling", January 1944, W. de Haan NV, Utrecht. The [http://www.indiawijzer.nl/links/assam/map_of_bengale.jpg map].</ref> One of the first unambiguous references comes from Thomas Bowrey in 1663 about [[Mir Jumla II|Mir Jumla]]'s death: "They lost the best of Nabobs, the Kingdome of Acham, and, by consequence, many large privileges".<ref>Bowrey, Thomas, ''A Geographical Account of Countries around Bay of Bengal'', ed Temple, R. C., Hakluyt Society's Publications</ref> Though Bowrey wrote his manuscript in the 17th century, the manuscript itself was published for the first time in the 20th century. On the other hand, [[Jean-Baptiste Tavernier]]'s ''Travels in India'', published in 1676 uses the spelling "Assem" for Assam in the French original (''Aſem'' in the English translation, published in 1678).<ref>"Of the Kingdom of Aſem", Book III, Chapter XVII {{harv|Tavernier|1678|pp=187–188}}</ref> Thus the earliest English use of the name was "Aſem", with a [[Long s]].

Colonialists then followed these travelers and adventurers. Both Grierson and Gait agree that the British used ''Asam'' before finally settling on ''Assam''.<ref>"...in the early dates of British rule, it (Assam) was spelled with only one 's'". {{harv|Gait|1906|p=240}}</ref> In various documents of the British East India Company relating to the last few Ahom kings, the name of country was mentioned as ''Assam''. The 1826 [[Treaty of Yandabo]], marking the conquest of the [[Ahom kingdom]] at the hands of the British, uses ''Assam'' to denote the area under the erstwhile Ahoms and its protectorates (Darrang Koch, Jaintias, Kacharis and some hill areas in the present Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland).{{citation needed|date=October 2018}}

After the British took control of the region, the name ''Assam'' was extended to the province that was then much larger than the [[Ahom kingdom]]. It then included, [[Garo Hills]] and [[Lushai Hills]] ([[Mizoram]]). Since that time, the boundaries of Assam have been repeatedly redrawn, though the name ''Assam'' remained. Today, the political boundary of Assam contains roughly the historical [[Ahom kingdom|Ahom Kingdom]] and its protectorates, the [[Kachari kingdom]], [[Koch Hajo]] and a part of the [[Jaintia Kingdom]].{{citation needed|date=October 2018}}

==Modern name Assam==
According to {{Harvcoltxt|Grierson|1967}}, the English word ''Assamese'' parallels other [[demonym]]s (''Chinese'', ''Sinhalese'', ''Nepalese'', etc.), building on ''Assam'', an Anglicization of the Sanskrit word ''Asama'' that itself refers to the Brahmaputra Valley.<ref name="Grierson 1967 393">{{harv|Grierson|1967|p=393}}</ref> Other writers (most notably Banikanta Kakati<ref>{{harv|Kakati|1941|p=1}}</ref><ref>{{harv|Kakati|1953|p=1}}</ref> and S N Sarma<ref>Satyendranath Sarma, ''Assamese literature: Volume 9, Part 2 '', Harrassowitz,1976, p. 43. "It is based on the English word Assam by which the British rulers referred to the tract covered by the Brahmaputra valley and its adjoining areas."</ref>) have repeated this claim. {{Harvcoltxt|Gait|1906}} has mentioned that the British used ''Asam'' before finally settling on ''Assam''; though Grierson claims that the form ''Assam'' is English, ''The Assam Tribune'' has reported the finding of a Dutch map drawn around 1661 with a label ''Assam''.<ref>"I got a copy of Frans van der Heiden's book in Dutch, published in 1944. Several times the name of Assam is mentioned in this publication. I was able to find a copy of the original Dutch publication, published in 1675 in the library of the Maritime Museum, Rotterdam and compared the two publications. The 1944 version has extra preface added by the publisher including a map of Bengale drawn around 1661 where the name of Assam is mentioned." {{harv|Saleh|2008}}</ref>

==Theories on etymology==
The precise etymology of the name ''Assam'' or ''Asam'' ({{lang|as|অসম}}) is not known, though many explanations have been put forward. Among the different theories, two attribute the name to the terrain of the region while three attribute it to the Shan invaders of the 13th century.

===Ha-com: from Bodo===
One of the earliest theories published was provided by Baden-Powell in 1896, when he proposed that the name could possibly derive from the Bodo ''Ha-com'', meaning "low or level country".<ref>"The name 'Assam' (''Āsām'') is most probably traceable to (the ''Boro'') ''Hā-com''=the low and level country;"{{harv|Baden-Powell|1896|p=135}}</ref> He rejected the possibility that the name ''Assam'' (''Asam'') could be derived from ''Aham'' (Ahom).<ref>{{harv|Baden-Powell|1896|pp=136–137}}</ref> Subsequent writers like P. C. Choudhury<ref>{{harv|Choudhury|1966|p=26}}</ref> and R N Mosahary<ref>"The root source of the origin of the name Assam is of the Boro formations ''Ha Com'', ''Ha Som'', or ''Ha Sam'', Mushahary (1983) in "Proceedings of the NEIHA, Fourth Session, p64.</ref> lend credence to this theory. So, if Ha-Com is the source of Sanskrit Asama, then it traces its origin from very early times, long before any Ahom invasion.<ref name="Subir Ghosh 2001, Page 20"/>

===Asama: from Sanskrit===
Two different meanings of the Sanskrit word ''Asama'' have been used to explain the name: one meaning "uneven" (terrain) and the other "unequaled".

{{Harvcoltxt|Gait|1906}} reports that according to some people, the name "Assam" is derived from the Sanskrit ''asama'', meaning "uneven" which describes the terrain of the region in contrast to the flat plains of Samatata,<ref>"According to some, the word is derived from ''Asama'' meaning "uneven", as distinguished from Samatata, or the level plains of East Bengal." {{harv|Gait|1906|p=241}}</ref> though he rejects this explanation on the grounds that the word was never used before the advent of the Ahoms and that the Vamshavali of the Darrang kings used it to refer to the Ahom ''community'' and not to the land.<ref name="Gait 1906 241">{{harv|Gait|1906|p=241}}</ref>

The second theory Gait reported is that ''Asama'', meaning "unequal" or "peerless", was a name the local people gave the undefeated Ahoms, according to a tradition that the Ahoms themselves believed in. Gait rejects this notion as well, noting that the local tribal people would not have given a Sanskrit name to the invaders.<ref name="Gait 1906 241"/>

Though Gait rejects both these explanations, he nevertheless asserts that the name is somehow associated with the Ahoms.<ref name="Gait 1906 241"/> George Grierson,<ref>"This word is popularly, but incorrectly derived from the Assamese word ''aham'' [Grierson uses 'h' for 'x'] which means 'unequaled,' being the same as the Sanskrit ''asama''."{{harv|Grierson|1967|p=393}}</ref> [[Banikanta Kakati]],<ref>"...''Asama'' meaning peerless or unequaled is a latter-day Sanskritisation of some earlier form like ''Acham''." {{harv|Kakati|1953|p=2}}</ref> and [[Dimbeswar Neog]],<ref>"... Thus little room is left for the fanciful origin of the name ''Asam'' from Sanskrit to mean 'uneven' ([terrain]) or 'unparalleled' (people)" {{harv|Neog|1962|p=2}}.</ref> also reject the Sanskrit origin of the name. [[Satyendranath Sarma|Satyendra Nath Sharma]] accepts Banikanta Kakati's view ''in toto''.<ref name="Sarma 1976 1"/>

Though both explanations have been rejected in the academic literature, the notion that the name ''Assam'' has a Sanskrit origin continues to hold sway in popular perceptions, due mainly to two standard dictionaries of Assamese: ''[[Hemkox]]'' and ''Chandrakanta Abhidhan''.<ref>"While scholars disagree over the precise origins of the name, Assam, there is a consensus that the name, given to the land by the 13th century Shan invaders impressed by the valour of the people they conquered (or, in another reading, given by the conquered to the people who conquered them, being impressed by their generosity in victory), is derived from the Sanskrit word, asama, meaning unequalled, matchless, with the secondary meaning, uneven, undulating, with reference to the terrain of the land. The two standard Assamese dictionaries, Hem Kosha and Chandrakanta Abhidhan, offer broadly the same definitions." {{harv|Prabhakara|2006}}</ref> The ''Hemkox'' forwards the second theory, associating the name to the meaning "unequaled".<ref>{{harv|Barua|2006|p=85}}</ref>

===A-Sham: from the name ''Sham''===
Gait reports that some associated the name with the Shan who are called ''Syam'' by the Assamese, an explanation which he found not convincing.<ref>"It has been suggested that this may be derived from Shan, or as the Assamese say ''Syam''. This word is however not used by the Assamese when speaking of the Ahoms, but only with reference to people of Siam" {{harv|Gait|1906|p=241}}</ref> nevertheless Grierson has accepted that the 13th century natives of Assam called the Shan (Sham) invaders by this name.<ref>"The Assamese themselves call the native country Asam, with the vowels in both syllables short. The name is said to be the term given by them to the Shans or "Shams" who commenced invading the country from the east in the 13th century" {{harv|Grierson|1967|p=393}}</ref> Dimbeswar Neog notes that the Indic prefix ''a''- does not necessarily mean an antonym in Assamese and it could just be a synonym (e.g. ''kumari''/''akumari'', ''bihane''/''abihane''), a feature that is also seen in Sanskrit (''sur''/''asur''); therefore, ''Asham'' could mean the same as ''Sham'', and the name could be derived as ''Sham'' ({{lang|as|শাম}}) > ''Āshām'' ({{lang|as|আশাম}}) > ''Āsam'' ({{lang|as|আসম}}) > ''Asam'' ({{lang|as|অসম}}).<ref>{{harv|Neog|1962|p=2}}</ref> Amalendu Guha, too derives it from ''Sham''; but instead of using an Indo-Aryan rule, derives it from the Bodo form, ''Ha-Sham'', meaning the land of the ''Sham'' people.<ref>"The [[Ahom kingdom|Ahom]] domain of Upper Assam came to be known to the [[Dimasa people|Dimasa]] and other Bodo people as ''Ha-Sam'' (the land of the Shams or Shans) in their language. From this the terms 'Asam' and 'Ahom' were derived in due course, and the first term came to stand for the expanded Ahom kingdom. Under the impact of the Indo-Aryan heritage of the region, the concept of 'Asam' was further extended to cover the entire area defined as 'Kamarupa' in the Kalika-Purana (c 9th-10th centuries). The Ahom statesmen and chroniclers wishfully looked forward to the [[Karatoya]] as their natural western frontier. They also looked upon themselves as the heirs of that glory that was ancient [[Kamarupa]] by right of conquest, and they long cherished infructuously their unfulfilled hopes of expanding up to that frontier." {{harv|Guha|1983}}</ref> Masica too believes that ''Assam'' derives from an earlier attested form of ''asam'', ''acam'' which in turn is from a Burmese corruption of the name ''Shan/Shyam''.<ref name="Masica 1993 50"/>

===A-cham: from Tai===
{{harv|Kakati|1953}} derives the name from a Tai root, ''cham'' (defeated), with an Indic prefix for negation, ''a-'', so that ''a-cham'' would mean undefeated.<ref>"In Tai the root ''cham'' means "to be defeated". With the privative Assamese affix ''ā'' the whole formation ''Āchām'' would mean undefeated." {{harv|Kakati|1953|p=2}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book|last=Baden-Powell|first=B. H.|title=The Indian Village Community|publisher=Longman, Greens and Co.|year=1896|url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924074416805|location=London}}
* {{cite book |last=Bhuyan |first=S. K. |editor-last=Bhuyan|editor-first=S. K. |title=Kamrupar Buranji |chapter=Prokaxokor Patoni (Publisher's Preface) |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.40661 |access-date=28 January 2012 |year=1930 |publisher=Department of Historical and Antiquarian Studies |location=Assam |language=as}}
* {{cite book|last=Bora|first=Mahendra|title=The Evolution of Assamese Script|publisher=[[Axom Xahitya Xabha|Assam Sahitya Sabha]]|year=1981|location=Jorhat, Assam}}
* {{Citation| last = Barua| first = Hem Chandra| title = {{lang|as|অসম}}|trans-title=asama| language = as| year = 2006| encyclopedia = Hemkosha| editor-last = Barua| editor-first = Debananda| edition = 12th| place = Guwahati| publisher = Hemkosh Prakashan}}
* {{cite book|last=Choudhury|first=Pratap Chandra|title=The History of the Civilisation of the People of Assam to the 12th Century|publisher=Dept. of Historical and Antiquarian Studies in Assam|year=1966|location=Gauhati|url=https://archive.org/details/HistoryOfThePeopleOfAssam|access-date=8 February 2018}}
* {{Citation|last=Gait |first=Edward A |year=1906|title=A History of Assam |isbn=9780404168193 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w-6kr1IyHJkC|place=Calcutta}}
* {{Linguistic Survey of India|5| chapter = Assamese| year = 1967| orig-year = 1903| pages = 393–398| place = New Delhi| publisher = Motilal Banarasidass| chapter-url = https://archive.org/stream/rosettaproject_asm_detail-2#page/n0/mode/2up}}
* {{Citation| last = Guha| first = Amalendu| title = The Ahom Political System: An Enquiry into the State Formation Process in Medieval Assam (1228-1714)| journal = Social Scientist| volume = 11 |pages = 3–34| date = December 1983| doi = 10.2307/3516963| issue = 12| jstor = 3516963 | url = http://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/handle/123456789/3259}}
* {{Citation|last=Kakati|first=Banikanta|year=1941|title=Assamese, Its Formation and Development |publisher=Department of Historical and Antiquarian Studies|place=Gauhati}}
* {{Citation| last = Kakati| first = Banikanta| chapter = The Assamese Language| year = 1953| title = Aspects of Early Assamese Literature| editor-last = Kakati| editor-first = Banikanta| pages = 1–16| place = Gauhati| publisher = Gauhati University}}
* {{Citation|last=Masica|first=Colin P.|author-link=Colin Masica|year=1993|title=Indo-Aryan Languages|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J3RSHWePhXwC|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=9780521299442}}
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{{refend}}

{{Assam}}

[[Category:Assam]]
[[Category:Place name etymologies|Assam, Etymology of]]
[[Category:Names of places in India|Assam, Etymology of]]
[[Category:Historical geography of India|Assam, Etymology of]]
[[Category:Cultural history of Assam]]

Etymology of Assam - Revision history

Shannan0997 at 03:02, 14 July 2024