Etymology

mantra

M3A1N1T1R1A1

Today it means: The hymn portions of the Vedas; any passage of these used as a prayer. Full definition →

First used 1808Sanskrit मन्त्र ← Proto-Indo-Iranian *mántras ← Proto-Indo-European *men-
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*men-“to think”
  2. Proto-Indo-Iranian · derived from*mántras
  3. Sanskrit · borrowed fromमन्त्र
  4. English todaymantra

Borrowed from Sanskrit मन्त्र (mantra), from Proto-Indo-Iranian *mántras, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *men- (“to think”). Related to mind.

Words from the same roots

Proto-Indo-European*men- all →

gamemanminremainmintparamountmingmnemonicminnowminionmignonpromontorymontanemonadMintomonePrometheanminchMontagnardmessuagemelomaniacminchenpromnesia

First known use, by meaning

  • from 1808 The hymn portions of the Vedas; any passage of these used as a prayer.
  • from 1956 A phrase repeated to assist concentration during meditation.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.