Where does “袈裟” come from?
袈裟 (Literary Chinese) comes from Middle Chinese 沙, from Russian царь, from Old East Slavic цьсарь, from Old East Slavic цѣсарь, from Proto-Slavic cěsařь, from Proto-Germanic kaisaraz, from Latin Caesar, from Latin caesaries — hair.
Ancestry of “袈裟”, step by step
袈裟 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle Chinese 沙
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle Chinese | 沙 | — |
| 2 | Russian | царь | tsar, Russian emperor; king |
| 3 | Old East Slavic | цьсарь | — |
| 4 | Old East Slavic | цѣсарь | emperor, king |
| 5 | Proto-Slavic | cěsařь | emperor, king |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | kaisaraz | emperor |
| 7 | Latin | Caesar | Julius Caesar; emperor |
| 8 | Latin | caesaries | or hair |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | kéysero- | hair |