Where does the word Asia came from?

The word "Asia" is thought to have come from the ancient Greek word "Ἀσία", which was first used by Herodotus in the 5th century BCE. The Greek word is believed to have come from the Assyrian word "asu", which means "east" or "sunrise". The term was used to refer to the eastern part of the known world, as opposed to Europe and Africa. Over time, the term Asia came to be used to refer to the continent of Asia as we know it today.