*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of naga

From an Australian Aboriginal language; cf. Wulna nākā (“dress, covering”)

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 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.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

A loincloth.

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

From an Australian Aboriginal language; cf. Wulna nākā (“dress, covering”)

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "wux",
        "2": "nākā",
        "3": "",
        "4": "dress, covering"
      },
      "expansion": "Wulna nākā (“dress, covering”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "nākā",
      "nākā#Wulna"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A loincloth."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "recordId": "b3bd5a96cb49f280dc583664bad6f325d6307306d8f82e8dc8ecc1c640df88d4",
      "rawRecordSha256": "f1c978a1a0323465da4262d6581280d382df38612a882e56bc431bc9e38efa1c",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 501240
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A member of a class of semi-divine creatures, often taking the form of a very large snake and associated with water. · A fictional creature with the lower body of a snake, and an upper body either of an anthropomorphic version thereof, or of a human or another humanoid creature. The serpentine equivalent of a taur.

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

Borrowed from Sanskrit नाग (nāga, “serpent, snake”), probably ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *nogʷós (“naked”) and cognate with naked.

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": "wp",
      "args": {
        "1": "Nāga"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*negʷ-"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "sa",
        "3": "नाग",
        "4": "",
        "5": "serpent, snake"
      },
      "expansion": "Sanskrit नाग (nāga, “serpent, snake”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*nogʷós",
        "t": "naked"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *nogʷós (“naked”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Buddha",
      "Buddha"
    ],
    [
      "नाग",
      "नाग#Sanskrit"
    ],
    [
      "*nogʷós",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/nogʷós"
    ],
    [
      "naked",
      "naked#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A member of a class of semi-divine creatures, often taking the form of a very large snake and associated with water.",
        "A fictional creature with the lower body of a snake, and an upper body either of an anthropomorphic version thereof, or of a human or another humanoid creature. The serpentine equivalent of a taur."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "slang"
      ],
      "recordId": "051de590c4f2af210761c706e4bfbb3a39a0efd0e50c0a8809ee109148d204c4",
      "rawRecordSha256": "7e90135e5a437a44203c23fa87f829463a86ef4e234163965171a4634186e7b0",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 501241
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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  }
}

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 naga →

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-bmFnYQ