Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Chinese New Year” come from?

Chinese New Year (English) comes from English New Year, from English New, from English MAN, from Middle English man, from Old English mān, from Sanskrit महादेव, from Sanskrit महा, from Sanskrit महायान — to go; to go in, enter; to ride, to travel.

Chinese New Year (English): An annual Chinese holiday, marking the beginning...

Definitions

  1. An annual Chinese holiday, marking the beginning...

Ancestry of “Chinese New Year”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishNew YearA period covering the first few days of a...
2EnglishNew—
3EnglishMANInitialism of Metropolitan Area Network
4Middle EnglishmanTypically singular, indefinite pronoun: one, you;...
5Old Englishmānbad, criminal, false; shameful act; crime;...
6Sanskritमहादेव—
7Sanskritमहाcombining form of महत्; buffalo; great, large,...
8Sanskritमहायान—
9Sanskritयानcarriage, vehicle, mode of transport; moving,...
10Proto-Indo-AryanyáHnam—
11Proto-Indo-IranianyáHnam—
12Proto-Indo-Europeanyéh₂-nom—
13Proto-Indo-Europeanyeh₂-to go; to go in, enter; to ride, to travel
Every word from Proto-Indo-European yeh₂- →