*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of mahā

From Sanskrit महा (mahā́), form of महत् (mahát, “great, big, high”) used in compounds.

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 ↗
adj

great, eminent · as an honorific for Indian titles, usually capitalized

noun

one of the three vehicles of mastery in means to achieve liberation

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

From Sanskrit महा (mahā́), form of महत् (mahát, “great, big, high”) used in compounds.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "sa",
        "3": "महा",
        "tr": "mahā́"
      },
      "expansion": "Sanskrit महा (mahā́)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "महा",
      "महा#Sanskrit"
    ],
    [
      "महत्",
      "महत्#Sanskrit"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "great, eminent",
        "as an honorific for Indian titles, usually capitalized"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "not-comparable"
      ],
      "recordId": "3fad27593de36281deae24aa614d4c11277c9651d1fff7dee388610e04e19b73",
      "rawRecordSha256": "16b9d50886b0dd0e1823f9597d558f6a082862eb4eb374a1b336aaa5833d080b",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 5009553
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "one of the three vehicles of mastery in means to achieve liberation"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "recordId": "47e797ac80d98d839d11e6da31e8d82d82572c3e1b202cb5813deb94745821d5",
      "rawRecordSha256": "9b0e53f537809775314454317bc1bc970cce150dcd31cda672098ee5be84c005",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 5009554
    }
  ],
  "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 mahā →

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-bWFoxIE