Where does “कन्या” come from?

कन्या (Sanskrit) comes from Proto-Indo-Iranian kanyáH, from Proto-Indo-European ken- — to arise, begin.

कन्या (Sanskrit): girl, virgin, daughter; the sign of the zodiac...

Definitions

  1. girl, virgin, daughter; the sign of the zodiac...

Ancestry of “कन्या”, step by step

कन्या traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Proto-Indo-Iranian kanyáH

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Indo-IraniankanyáHyoung girl, maiden
2Proto-Indo-Europeanken-to arise, begin

via Indo-Iranian *kanyáH

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Indo-Iranian*kanyáH—
2Proto-Indo-Europeanḱen-to set oneself in motion, arise

Words derived from “कन्या”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ken- →Every word from Proto-Indo-Iranian kanyáH →