Where does “बनिया” come from?

बनिया (Hindi) comes from Sanskrit वणिज्, from Proto-Indo-European h₂eǵ- — to drive.

बनिया (Hindi): a merchant; shopkeeper

Definitions

  1. a merchant; shopkeeper

Ancestry of “बनिया”, step by step

बनिया traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Sanskrit वणिज्

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Sanskritवणिज्a merchant, trader; the zodiacal sign Libra; name...
2Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂eǵ-to drive

via Prakrit 𑀯𑀡𑀺𑀅

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Prakrit𑀯𑀡𑀺𑀅—
2Sanskritवणिजtrader

Words derived from “बनिया”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂eǵ- →Every word from Sanskrit वणिज् →