Where does “nimitta” come from?

nimitta (Pali) comes from Sanskrit निमित्त, from Sanskrit मा, from Proto-Iranian máH, from Proto-Indo-Iranian maH, from Proto-Indo-European meh₁ — prohibitive particle.

nimitta (Pali): sign, omen, portent, prognostication

Definitions

  1. sign, omen, portent, prognostication

Ancestry of “nimitta”, step by step

nimitta traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Sanskrit निमित्त

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Sanskritनिमित्तaim, mark
2Sanskritमाdon't; accusative singular of अहम्; to sound,...
3Proto-IranianmáH—
4Proto-Indo-IranianmaHdo not; prohibitive particle
5Proto-Indo-Europeanmeh₁prohibitive particle

via Sanskrit निमित्त​

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Sanskritनिमित्त​—

Words derived from “nimitta”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European meh₁ →Every word from Proto-Indo-Iranian maH →Every word from Proto-Iranian máH →