Where does “曼荼羅” come from?
曼荼羅 (Japanese) comes from Chinese 曼荼羅, from Sanskrit मण्डल, from Sanskrit -ल, from Proto-Indo-European -lós — Forms agent nouns from verbal roots.
曼荼羅 (Japanese): a mandala
Ancestry of “曼荼羅”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Chinese | 曼荼羅 | mandala |
| 2 | Sanskrit | मण्डल | circular, round; disk; anything round |
| 3 | Sanskrit | -ल | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |