Where does “Shurpanakha” come from?
Shurpanakha (English) comes from Sanskrit शूर्पणखा, from Sanskrit नख, from Proto-Indo-Aryan Hnakʰás, from Proto-Indo-European h₃nogʰ- — claw, nail; nail.
Ancestry of “Shurpanakha”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Sanskrit | शूर्पणखा | — |
| 2 | Sanskrit | नख | nail |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-Aryan | Hnakʰás | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃nogʰ- | claw, nail; nail |