An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics

A → plain in the northern hemisphere of Mars that was chosen as the landing site of the Viking II space probe on September 3, 1976.

Etymology (EN): Mod.L. Utopia, literally “nowhere,” coined by Thomas More (1516), from Gk. ou “not” + topos “place;” planitia, from planus, → plain.

Etymology (PE): Dašt, → plain; nâkojâ “nowhere,” from nâ-, → un-, + kojâ “where?; a place;” Mid.Pers. kugiyâg, from kū “where; that; than” + giyâk “place” (O.Pers. ā-vahana- “place, village;” Av. vah- “to dwell, stay,” vanhaiti “he dwells, stays;” Skt. vásati “he dwells;” Gk. aesa (nukta) “to pass (the night);”
Ossetic wat “room; bed; place;” Tokharian B wäs- “to stay, wait;” PIE base ues- “to stay, live, spend the night”); nâkojâ âbâd literally “city of nowhere, habitation of nowhere,” from nâkojâ, as explained, + âbâd “city; habitation; cultivated” (Mid.Pers. âpât, âpâtân “cultivated, inhabitated;” Proto-Iranian *ā-pāta- “protected,” from prefix ā + pā- “to protect, guard” (Mod.Pers. pâyidan), → observe.