'bangkok' originates from Thai, specifically the word 'บางกอก' (Bangkok), where 'bang' meant 'village' or 'riverbank' and 'kok' (from 'makok') referred to the 'olive-plum' (a local fruit).

'bangkok' changed from the Thai phrase 'Bang Makok' ('place of olive-plums') and was adopted in shortened form by foreign visitors and mapmakers; this shortened form entered English as 'Bangkok'.

Initially, it meant 'a riverside village characterized by olive-plum trees'; over time it evolved into the modern usage as the proper name of Thailand's capital, losing the literal botanical meaning.