Where does “नहीं” come from?

नहीं (Braj) comes from Sanskrit नहि, from Proto-Indo-Iranian naǰʰí, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰe — Postpositional intensifying particle: indeed, at any rate, in fact.

नहीं (Braj): not

Definitions

  1. not

Ancestry of “नहीं”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Sanskritनहिsurely not, by no means, not at all
2Proto-Indo-Iraniannaǰʰí—
3Proto-Indo-EuropeanǵʰePostpositional intensifying particle: indeed, at any rate, in fact
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰe →Every word from Proto-Indo-Iranian naǰʰí →Every word from Sanskrit नहि →