Where does “vajira” come from?
vajira (Pali) comes from Sanskrit वज्र, from Sanskrit यान, from Sanskrit महायान, from Sanskrit महा, from Proto-Indo-Aryan maźʰā́, from Proto-Indo-Iranian maȷ́ʰā́, from Proto-Indo-European méǵh₂s — big, great.
Ancestry of “vajira”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Sanskrit | वज्र | "the hard or mighty one", a thunderbolt; a... |
| 2 | Sanskrit | यान | carriage, vehicle, mode of transport; moving,... |
| 3 | Sanskrit | महायान | — |
| 4 | Sanskrit | महा | combining form of महत्; buffalo; great, large,... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-Aryan | maźʰā́ | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | maȷ́ʰā́ | big, great |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | méǵh₂s | big, great |