Sikkim

//ˈsɪkɪm// name

name ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A state in eastern India. Capital: Gangtok.
  2. 2
    A former country in South Asia that existed from the 17th century until its annexation by India in 1975. Official name: Kingdom of Sikkim. historical

Etymology

Borrowed from Sikkimese སུ་ཁྱིམ (su khyim); The most widely accepted theory is that it is a combination of two Limbu words: su, which means "new", and khyim, which means "palace" or "house". The name is believed to be a reference to the palace built by the state's first ruler, Phuntsog Namgyal.

Related phrases

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.