Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “mali” come from?

Mali comes from Zulu imali, derived from Sanskrit माली, which contains the Sanskrit suffix -इन् ultimately from Proto-Indo-European -iHnos, a suffix forming agent nouns.

mali (English): A member of a caste in South Asia whose...

Definitions

  1. A member of a caste in South Asia whose...

Ancestry of “mali”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Hindiमालीgardener; economical, monetary
2Hindiमालgoods, stuff, things; money; an attractive woman
3Dhivehiމާލެ—
4Dhivehiމާ—
5Sanskritमहाcombining form of महत्; buffalo; great, large,...
6Sanskritमहायान—
7Sanskritयानcarriage, vehicle, mode of transport; moving,...
8Proto-Indo-AryanyáHnam—
9Proto-Indo-IranianyáHnam—
10Proto-Indo-Europeanyéh₂-nom—
11Proto-Indo-Europeanyeh₂-to go; to go in, enter; to ride, to travel
Every word from Proto-Indo-European yeh₂- →