Where does “मौ” come from?
मौ (Old Marathi) comes from Maharastri Prakrit 𑀫𑁅, from Sanskrit मृदु, from Proto-Indo-Aryan mr̥dúṣ, from Proto-Indo-Iranian mr̥dúš, from Proto-Indo-European *ml̥dus, from Proto-Indo-European (s)meld- — to soften, to melt.
मौ (Old Marathi): soft, tender
Ancestry of “मौ”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Maharastri Prakrit | 𑀫𑁅 | — |
| 2 | Sanskrit | मृदु | soft, delicate, tender, pliant, mild, gentle;... |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-Aryan | mr̥dúṣ | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | mr̥dúš | soft, mild, weak |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | *ml̥dus | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)meld- | to soften, to melt |