*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of maya

Borrowed from Sanskrit माया (māyā).

1 source sectionBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
noun

Magic; supernatural power as held by the gods. · The power by which the universe is made to appear; the illusion of the phenomenal world, as opposed to its true or spiritual reality.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Sanskrit माया (māyā).

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "sa:माया",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Sanskrit\", \"term\" : \"माया\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"sa\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"maya\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"maya\">\nBorrowed from Sanskrit माया (māyā)."
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "sa:माया",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Sanskrit माया (māyā)."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "माया",
      "माया#Sanskrit"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Magic; supernatural power as held by the gods.",
        "The power by which the universe is made to appear; the illusion of the phenomenal world, as opposed to its true or spiritual reality."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable",
        "Hinduism"
      ],
      "recordId": "769ee2e205d1f559eb191093de304d93eb507ebe7bb49cea0d365e5a97eca275",
      "rawRecordSha256": "fcdb2324c4b8d8178fd7ffa976f697d1b0c4644d72820b1c1325638805b7fd66",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 391406
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for maya →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-bWF5YQ