Where does “buddhist” come from?
buddhist (English) comes from English buddha, from Pali Buddha, from Sanskrit बुद्ध, from Proto-Indo-Aryan buddʰás, from Proto-Indo-Iranian bʰudᶻdʰás, from Proto-Indo-European bʰudʰtós, from Proto-Indo-European bʰewdʰ- — to be awake, be aware.
Ancestry of “buddhist”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | buddha | A human being who has become enlightened and... |
| 2 | Pali | Buddha | Buddha, the enlightened one |
| 3 | Sanskrit | बुद्ध | awake; enlightened, conscious, intelligent,... |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-Aryan | buddʰás | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | bʰudᶻdʰás | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰudʰtós | aware |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰewdʰ- | to be awake, be aware |