*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of Isan

From Thai อีสาน (ii-sǎan) (same in Isan), claimed to be from Sanskrit ईशान (īśāna, “Shiva of the northeast”).

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
noun

The ethnic Lao people who have traditionally lived in Isan.

name

A large region in northeastern Thailand, on the Khorat Plateau. · The language of the Isan people (between Lao and Thai, and sometimes considered a dialect of Lao, although it is written in Thai script).

adj

Of, from, or pertaining to Isan, the Isan people or the Isan language.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Thai อีสาน (ii-sǎan) (same in Isan), claimed to be from Sanskrit ईशान (īśāna, “Shiva of the northeast”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "th",
        "3": "อีสาน",
        "sc": "Thai"
      },
      "expansion": "Thai อีสาน (ii-sǎan)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "sa",
        "3": "ईशान",
        "4": "",
        "5": "Shiva of the northeast",
        "tr": "īśāna"
      },
      "expansion": "Sanskrit ईशान (īśāna, “Shiva of the northeast”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "wp",
      "args": {},
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "wp",
      "args": {
        "1": "+ language"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "อีสาน",
      "อีสาน#Thai"
    ],
    [
      "ईशान",
      "ईशान#Sanskrit"
    ],
    [
      "Shiva",
      "Shiva"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The ethnic Lao people who have traditionally lived in Isan."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "plural",
        "plural-only"
      ],
      "recordId": "5f1d0adf98a51be78a61ffab3b4feb061ca75f2a4ea03beac285f763ceb2a479",
      "rawRecordSha256": "dab14487e297ce8cfdf71dc936f80d0a5b3b9208315b85afc7749b11b7c57668",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 4074663
    },
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A large region in northeastern Thailand, on the Khorat Plateau.",
        "The language of the Isan people (between Lao and Thai, and sometimes considered a dialect of Lao, although it is written in Thai script)."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "7c3d2d9c2a9e015ce3831fa4faefed89f6446dd4ce178989a85c0c2e8d60e190",
      "rawRecordSha256": "bb5772264fb607392de4464b8208a4e50748fefdc48450bdf81ce32f8a2da2de",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 4074662
    },
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Of, from, or pertaining to Isan, the Isan people or the Isan language."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "not-comparable"
      ],
      "recordId": "e4db0eba7984c6d2dbb16afeb7e21caa611539e701ccfddd81cf3c8fd062a370",
      "rawRecordSha256": "9da27304b3e7175476ac761abd57a6592050c2824d51b37c3651b63bb3b20fcb",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 4074664
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Isan →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-SXNhbg