বিমান (Bengali)
Where does "বিমান" come from?
The Bengali word 'বিমান' (vimana) is a direct borrowing from Sanskrit, where it combined the prefix 'vi-' (apart) with the root 'mana' (measuring). Originally denoting the act of 'measuring out' or traversing space, the term evolved to describe mythical aerial vehicles before adopting its modern meaning of an aircraft. Its roots trace back even further to the Proto-Indo-European concept of 'thinking' and the prefix denoting separation.
Full etymology tree
- বিমান (bimān) (Bengali), 'aircraft, airplane'
- borrowed विमान (vimāna) (Sanskrit), 'measuring out, traversing (RV., AV., MBh.)'
- compound वि- (vi-) (Sanskrit), 'Prefix to verbs or nouns and other parts of speech derived from verbs, to express division, distinction, distribution, arrangement, order, opposition, or deliberation.'
- inherited *wí (Proto-Indo-Aryan)
- inherited *wí (Proto-Indo-Iranian)
- inherited *wí (Proto-Indo-European), 'apart, asunder'
- inherited *wí (Proto-Indo-Iranian)
- inherited *wí (Proto-Indo-Aryan)
- compound मान (mā́na) (Sanskrit), 'opinion; notion; conception; idea'
- derived *mana (Proto-Indo-Aryan)
- derived *man- (Proto-Indo-Aryan)
- inherited *man- (Proto-Indo-Iranian)
- inherited *men- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to think, mind'
- inherited *man- (Proto-Indo-Iranian)
- derived *man- (Proto-Indo-Aryan)
- suffix -अ (-a) (Sanskrit), 'creates action nouns from roots'
- derived *mana (Proto-Indo-Aryan)
- compound वि- (vi-) (Sanskrit), 'Prefix to verbs or nouns and other parts of speech derived from verbs, to express division, distinction, distribution, arrangement, order, opposition, or deliberation.'
- borrowed विमान (vimāna) (Sanskrit), 'measuring out, traversing (RV., AV., MBh.)'
Ancestors
- विमान (Sanskrit)
Updated June 2026
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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris