Where does “ahimsa” come from?
Ahimsa derives from Sanskrit अहिंसा, combining the Sanskrit prefix अ- (negation) with a root from Proto-Indo-Iranian a- and ultimately Proto-Indo-European n̥- and ne, expressing the concept of non-harm or non-violence.
ahimsa (English): A doctrine of non-violence, concerned with the...
Definitions
- A doctrine of non-violence, concerned with the...
Ancestry of “ahimsa”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Sanskrit | अहिंसा | nonviolence; harmlessness; security, safety |
| 2 | Sanskrit | हिंसा | injury, mischief, wrong, harm, hurt; killing,... |
| 3 | Sanskrit | हिंस् | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | *ǵʰeys- | — |