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
4Dhivehiލޭblood
5Prakrit𑀮𑁄𑀳𑀺𑀅red
6Sanskritलोहितred, reddish; made of copper; blood
7Proto-Indo-IranianHráwdʰitasred
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁rewdʰ-red
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁rewdʰ-