Etymology

Borrowing from Sanskrit नील ‎(nīla, “dark blue”); possibly via Old Khmer nīla, nila ‎(“blue sapphire; shiny black, dark blue”). Compare Modern Khmer នឹល ‎(nœ̆l); Lao ນິນ ‎(nin), ນິລະ ‎(ni la).

The last sense was coined by King Bhumibol Adulyadej around 1965 due to the fact that the term sounds like the first syllable of the fish's name in English, Nile tilapia, and that it reflects the colour of the fish's skin as well.

Pronunciation