Where does “माँ” come from?
माँ (Hindi) comes from Sauraseni Prakrit 𑀫𑀸𑀤𑀸, from Sanskrit मातृ, from Proto-Indo-Aryan máHtā, from Proto-Indo-Iranian máHtā, from Proto-Indo-European méh₂tēr — mother.
माँ (Hindi): mother; mom, mommy
Ancestry of “माँ”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Sauraseni Prakrit | 𑀫𑀸𑀤𑀸 | — |
| 2 | Sanskrit | मातृ | mother |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-Aryan | máHtā | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | máHtā | mother |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | méh₂tēr | mother |