You Say ISIS, I Say ISIL. They Say Caliphate https://mosaicmagazine.com/picks/uncategorized/2014/09/you-say-isis-i-say-isil-they-say-caliphate/

September 4, 2014 | Philologus
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The final S in ISIS stands for Sham, a geographic term that may come from the same root as “Semite.” As for the different names, they reveal the organization’s growing ambitions.

Read more on Forward: http://forward.com/articles/204757/changing-names-of-isis-reveal-growing-ambitions/