Where does “Vesak” come from?
Vesak (English) comes from Sinhalese වෙසක්, from Sanskrit वैशाख, from Sanskrit विशाखा, from Sanskrit शाखा, from Proto-Indo-Aryan śā́kʰaH, from Proto-Indo-Iranian ćā́kʰaH, from Proto-Indo-European ḱókh₂eh₂ — branch.
Ancestry of “Vesak”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Sinhalese | වෙසක් | — |
| 2 | Sanskrit | वैशाख | full-moon day in the month of Vaiśākha |
| 3 | Sanskrit | विशाखा | the 14th lunar asterism |
| 4 | Sanskrit | शाखा | branch; a limb of the body, arm or leg; finger |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-Aryan | śā́kʰaH | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | ćā́kʰaH | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱókh₂eh₂ | branch |