*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of Liao

A romanization of the Mandarin Chinese pronunciation of 遼 /辽 (Liáo)

3 source sectionsBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 3 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.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
name

A river of Manchuria (northeastern China) · One of various medieval dynasties of Khitan rulers in Chinese history originally from its watershed · Liaoning, a Chinese province surrounding and named for the Liao watershed

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

A romanization of the Mandarin Chinese pronunciation of 遼 /辽 (Liáo)

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "uder",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cmn",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Mandarin"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "遼",
      "遼#Mandarin"
    ],
    [
      "辽",
      "辽#Mandarin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A river of Manchuria (northeastern China)",
        "One of various medieval dynasties of Khitan rulers in Chinese history originally from its watershed",
        "Liaoning, a Chinese province surrounding and named for the Liao watershed"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncommon"
      ],
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      "rawRecordSha256": "ed61bbe4755047a9a1f9419c85aa11c95bf597e310c34c93e6e9e2a1b6c91fee",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 4825796
    }
  ],
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
name

A surname from Chinese.

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

Borrowed from Mandarin 廖 (Liào).

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "wp",
      "args": {
        "1": "+ (surname)"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "bor+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cmn",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Mandarin"
    },
    {
      "name": "zh-l",
      "args": {
        "1": "^廖"
      },
      "expansion": "廖 (Liào)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "廖",
      "廖#Chinese"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A surname from Chinese."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "589560a13f6f27dc35a02e834bcb27baf234c24c57cd07e3904a3a121d722d7f",
      "rawRecordSha256": "5357fba16da7708f34c28ea4152444806f231fa518b993d8180614cf4270c85e",
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}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
name

Synonym of Rau, a people of southeastern China

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

A romanization of the Mandarin Chinese pronunciation of 僚 (Liáo)

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "uder",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cmn",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Mandarin"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "僚",
      "僚#Mandarin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "Synonym of Rau, a people of southeastern China"
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "ada911adc2c6e806b453ff17a4eabe4f390846bcb53724459e66ebc3849190b7",
      "rawRecordSha256": "d418020035d0a508e3bebfdab03d2db6f07aa4221922848b74a05f261727acd4",
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    "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 Liao →

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-TGlhbw