Where does “baka” come from?

baka (English) comes from Japanese 馬鹿, from Sanskrit मोह, from Proto-Indo-Iranian máwǰʰas, from Proto-Indo-Iranian mawǰʰ- ~ mawgʰ- — to err, to be foolish, to deviate.

baka (English): An evil spirit in Haitian belief, often in the...

Definitions

  1. An evil spirit in Haitian belief, often in the...

Ancestry of “baka”, step by step

baka traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese 馬鹿

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese馬鹿foolish, idiotic, stupid, ridiculous; useless,...
2Sanskritमोहloss of consciousness, bewilderment, perplexity,...
3Proto-Indo-Iranianmáwǰʰas
4Proto-Indo-Iranianmawǰʰ- ~ mawgʰ-to err, to be foolish, to deviate

via Polish baka

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Polishbakaseamark
2Germanbackeinflection of backen: ## first-person singular...
3Middle High Germanbacke

via Hungarian baka

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Hungarianbakasoldier
Every word from Proto-Indo-Iranian mawǰʰ- ~ mawgʰ-