Where does “Mahayana” come from?

Mahayana derives from Sanskrit महायान, composed of Sanskrit महा "great" (from Sanskrit महत् and Proto-Indo-Aryan maźʰā́) and an element from Proto-Indo-European méǵh₂s and yeh₂-.

Mahayana (English): One of the two primary branches of Buddhism that emerged around the 1st century BCE, which accepts non-Pali canon scriptures, and emphasizes the path of bodhisattva

Definitions

  1. One of the two primary branches of Buddhism that emerged around the 1st century BCE, which accepts non-Pali canon scriptures, and emphasizes the path of bodhisattva

Ancestry of “Mahayana”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1SanskritमहायानMahayana
2Sanskritयानcarriage, vehicle, mode of transport; moving,...
3Proto-Indo-AryanyáHnam—
4Proto-Indo-IranianyáHnam—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanyéh₂-nom—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanyeh₂-to go; to go in, enter; to ride, to travel

Words derived from “Mahayana”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European yeh₂- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European yéh₂-nom →Every word from Proto-Indo-Iranian yáHnam →