ahimsa etymology

Etymology:

  • Sanskrit: अहिंसा (ahiṃsā)
  • Devanagari: अहिंसा

Meaning:

Non-violence, non-injury, compassion

Origin:

  • The word "ahimsa" is first found in ancient Jain and Buddhist texts dating back to the 6th century BCE.
  • It is derived from two Sanskrit roots:
    • a-: "not" or "without"
    • hiṃsā: "injury" or "violence"

Usage:

  • Ahimsa is a central principle in many Indian religions and philosophies, including:
    • Jainism
    • Hinduism (especially Yoga and Buddhism)
  • It refers to the ethical practice of abstaining from any action that harms or kills any living being, including humans, animals, and plants.
  • In a broader sense, ahimsa also encompasses non-violence in speech, thought, and intention.

Significance:

  • Ahimsa is considered a fundamental virtue and a necessary condition for spiritual enlightenment and liberation.
  • It is believed that practicing ahimsa brings about inner peace, harmony, and well-being.
  • Ahimsa has been an inspiration for numerous social and political movements promoting peace and non-violence, including the Indian independence movement led by Mahatma Gandhi.

ahimsa relate terms

  • abnegate

    Etymology Latin abnegāre to deny oneself to renounce Meaning To renounce

  • ahimsa

    Etymology Sanskrit अह ंस ahiṃsā Devanagari अह ंस Mea

  • annihilate

    Etymology Annihilate comes from the Latin verb ad nihilum redigere meaning to reduce

  • annul

    Etymology of Annull The word annul originates from the Latin word annullāre which

  • aught

    Etymology The word aught comes from Middle English aught which in turn derived from

  • deny

    Etymology Middle English denien denyen from Anglo Norman French denier denyer from

  • hobnob

    Etymology The word hobnob is believed to have originated from the early 17th century I

  • ixnay

    Etymology Origin Yiddish Meaning nothing Meaning and Origin Ixnay is a slang te

  • naught

    Etymology Middle English nauȝt naut from Old English nāwiht nōhwiht a compound o

  • naughty

    Etymology The word naughty is derived from the Middle English word naughte meaning

  • nefarious

    Etymology From Latin nefarius from ne not fas right Meaning Wicked e

  • negate

    Etymology The word negate comes from the Latin word negare meaning to deny or to sa

  • neglect

    Etymology Late Latin neglectus meaning not gathered not selected Latin neclegere

  • negligee

    Etymology French négligé past participle of négliger to neglect disregard Origi

  • negotiate

    Etymology Latin negotiari to trade do business Late Latin negotiatus business

  • neither

    Etymology Etymology is the study of the origin and history of words It involves tracing

  • nepenthe

    Etymology The word nepenthe comes from the ancient Greek language νῆπενθές

  • nescience

    Etymology Latin nescientia ignorance lack of knowledge nec not scientia knowl

  • nescient

    Etymology Latin nesciens present participle of nescire meaning not to know Meani

  • neuter

    Etymology The word neuter derives from the Latin word neuter which itself originate

  • never

    Etymology The word never is derived from the Old English word næfre which is compo

  • Nice

    Etymology The word nice is derived from the Old French word nice which itself comes

  • nihilism

    Etymology Latin nihil nothing ismus suffix indicating a doctrine or theory M

  • nihility

    Etymology The word nihil derives from the Latin word nihilum meaning nothing Me

  • nill

    Etymology The word nill is derived from the archaic English word nihil which means

  • nimiety

    Etymology The word nimiety originates from the Latin word nimietas which means exce

  • none

    Etymology Old English nāne næne Middle English non Old French noun Latin nūnus

  • nonplus

    Etymology The word nonplus comes from the Latin non not and plus more literal

  • nothing

    Etymology and Meaning of Nothing The word nothing is a compound word consisting of t

  • null

    Etymology From Latin nullus none Meaning Having no value quantity or signif

  • nullify

    Etymology Latin nullus meaning none French nullifier meaning to make null an

  • nulliparous

    Etymology Latin nullus none parere to give birth Meaning and Origin The te

  • renegade

    Etymology The word renegade originates from the Spanish word renegado which in turn

  • renege

    Etymology Late 16th century from French renégat 16th century from Spanish renegado

  • willy nilly

    Etymology The word willynilly is derived from two words Willy A colloquial variant

  • gospel

    Etymology and Origin The term gospel comes from the Old English word godspel which

  • creed

    Etymology Latin credo I believe Meaning A set of beliefs principles or doct

  • dimension

    Etymology Latin dimensio dimensionis a measuring Proto Indo European dem to

  • protocol

    Etymology The word protocol comes from the Greek word protokollon which means the f

  • admonish

    Etymology From Old French admonester from Medieval Latin admonestāre from Latin admo

  • diaphragm

    Etymology Greek diaphragma meaning wall or partition Meaning A thin dome sha

  • Viking

    Etymology and Meaning The word Viking derives from the Old Norse word Víkingr which

  • experiment

    Etymology Latin experimentum trial proof Proto Indo European sper to ask inq

  • surreptitious

    Etymology Surreptitious originates from the Latin word surrepticius which means sto

  • commission

    Etymology The word commission comes from Old French commission which derives from L