Where does “Devi” come from?
Devi comes from Sanskrit देवी, from Proto-Indo-Iranian dáywiH, from Proto-Indo-European déywih₂, related to the root dyew- meaning to shine.
Ancestry of “Devi”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Sanskrit | देवी | female deity, goddess |
| 2 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | dáywiH | — |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | déywih₂ | goddess |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | -ih₂ | Feminizes athematic nominal stems |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | -h₂ | Creates collective nouns, which refer to groups... |