Where does “Malé” come from?
Malé (English) comes from Dhivehi މާލެ, from Dhivehi މާ, from Sanskrit महा, from Sanskrit महायान, from Sanskrit यान, from Proto-Indo-Aryan yáHnam, from Proto-Indo-Iranian yáHnam, from Proto-Indo-European yéh₂-nom — to go; to go in, enter; to ride, to travel.
Ancestry of “Malé”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Dhivehi | މާލެ | — |
| 2 | Dhivehi | މާ | — |
| 3 | Sanskrit | महा | combining form of महत्; buffalo; great, large,... |
| 4 | Sanskrit | महायान | — |
| 5 | Sanskrit | यान | carriage, vehicle, mode of transport; moving,... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-Aryan | yáHnam | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | yáHnam | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | yéh₂-nom | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | yeh₂- | to go; to go in, enter; to ride, to travel |