Siam

[sahy-am, sahy-am] /saɪˈæm, ˈsaɪ æm/
noun
1.
former name of Thailand (def 1).
2.
Gulf of, Thailand (def 2).
British Dictionary definitions for Siam

Siam

/saɪˈæm; ˈsaɪæm/
noun
1.
the former name (until 1939 and 1945–49) of Thailand
2.
Gulf of Siam, an arm of the South China Sea between the Malay Peninsula and Indochina the former name of (the Gulf of) Thailand (sense 2)
Word Origin and History for Siam

name of Thailand before 1939 and from 1945-48, from Thai sayam, from Sanskrit syama "dark," in reference to the relative skin color of the people.