The word 'Assamese' is an anglicised formation. It stands for the language
called Asamiya which is derived from the name of the state, Asom. Asom
means 'unparalleled' or 'peerless'. Assamese is an Indo-Aryan language.
It developed out of the Sanskrit language about the 7th century
AD. Its immediate ancestor was Magadhi Apabhramsa. (Apabhramsa - dialect;
Magadhi is the dialect of prakrit (spoken form of Sanskrit) which became
the language of Bihar).
