Where does “Meru” come from?

Meru is an English borrowing of Sanskrit मेरु, a term of unknown etymological origin and meaning.

Meru (English): The abode of the gods at the center of the universe in Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist traditions

Definitions

  1. The abode of the gods at the center of the universe in Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist traditions

Ancestry of “Meru”, step by step

Meru traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Sanskrit मेरु

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1SanskritमेरुName of a fabulous mountain, regarded as the Olympus of Hindu mythology and said to form the central point of jambu-dvīpa-. All the planets revolve round it and it is compared to the cup or seed-vessel of a lotus, the leaves of which are formed by the different dvīpas q.v. The river Ganges falls fro
2Proto-Indo-Europeanmórisea; standing water
3Proto-Indo-Europeanmer-to die; to disappear; sea, lake, wetland

via Meru Ameru

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1MeruAmeru—

Words derived from “Meru”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European mer- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European móri →Every word from Sanskrit मेरु →