Where does “Maharashtra” come from?
Maharashtra derives from Sanskrit महाराष्ट्र, composed of महत् meaning "great" from Proto-Indo-Aryan maźʰā́ from Proto-Indo-European méǵh₂s, and राष्ट्र from Proto-Indo-European h₃rḗǵs meaning "ruler" from the root h₃reǵ-.
Ancestry of “Maharashtra”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sanskrit | महाराष्ट्र | — |
| 2 | Sanskrit | महत् | great, large, big, huge, ample, extensive, long,... |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | maȷ́ʰā́ | big, great |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | méǵh₂s | big, great |