Inherited from Middle Persian [Book Pahlavi needed] (ʾp̄ʾhtl /⁠abāxtar⁠/, “north”), derived from Avestan 𐬀𐬞𐬁𐬑𐬙𐬀𐬭𐬀 (apāxtara, “north; direction of the daevas, direction of Ahriman, direction of Hell”), from Old Iranian *apāxtara (“retrograde, backward-turning”), comparative stem based on *apāk-/*apāŋ (“backward”), from the preposition *apa (“behind”), from Proto-Indo-Iranian *apatamás, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂epo-tm̥mo-, from *h₂epó (“from, away, off”). See also Albanian afër (“close, nearby”), Gothic 𐌰𐍆𐌰𐍂 (afar, “after”), Old Persian 𐎠𐎱𐎼 (apara, “later, after”), Avestan 𐬀𐬞𐬀𐬭𐬀 (apara, “more behind, later”).