Where does “lacca” come from?
lacca (Medieval Latin) comes from Arabic لَكّ, from Persian لاک, from Urdu لاکھ, from Maharastri Prakrit 𑀮𑀓𑁆𑀔, from Sanskrit लक्ष, from Sanskrit लक्ष्, from Sanskrit रक्ष्, from Proto-Indo-Aryan Hrakṣ- — to protect.
Ancestry of “lacca”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arabic | لَكّ | — |
| 2 | Persian | لاک | trough, wooden vessel |
| 3 | Urdu | لاکھ | lakh, lac |
| 4 | Maharastri Prakrit | 𑀮𑀓𑁆𑀔 | — |
| 5 | Sanskrit | लक्ष | a mark, sign, token; a mark to aim at, target,... |
| 6 | Sanskrit | लक्ष् | perceive, observe; recognise; to mark, sign |
| 7 | Sanskrit | रक्ष् | to protect, guard, watch, take care of, save,... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-Aryan | Hrakṣ- | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | Hrakš- | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂lek- | to protect |