Where does “Ashwatthama” come from?
Ashwatthama (English) comes from Sanskrit अश्वत्थामन्, from Sanskrit अश्व, from Proto-Indo-Aryan Háśwas, from Proto-Indo-Iranian Háćwas, from Proto-Indo-European h₁éḱwos, from Proto-Indo-European h₁oh₁ḱu- — swift.
Ancestry of “Ashwatthama”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Sanskrit | अश्वत्थामन् | — |
| 2 | Sanskrit | अश्व | horse, stallion; knight; the number "seven" |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-Aryan | Háśwas | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | Háćwas | horse |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁éḱwos | stallion, horse |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁oh₁ḱu- | swift |