In English, the official name chosen for the country at the time of independence was "Burma". This was already the name that the British called their colony before 1948. This name most likely comes from Portuguese "Birmânia" and was adopted by English in the 18th century. The Portuguese name itself, a Latinate back-formation ("cp." Germânia "vs." Alemanha), came from the Indian name "Barma" which was borrowed by the Portuguese from any of the Indian languages in the 16th or 17th century. This Indian name "Barma" may derive from colloquial Burmese "Bama", but it may also derive from the Indian name "Brahma-desh."