arhat (English)
Where does "arhat" come from?
The English word 'arhat' entered the language as a transliteration of the Sanskrit 'arhat', meaning 'worthy of worship'[1]. This Sanskrit term originates from the present participle of the verb 'arhati', meaning 'to deserve', which is built from the root 'arh'[3]. Going further back into prehistory, this root derives from the Proto-Indo-European '*h₂elgʷʰ-', meaning 'to be worth, value, or gain'[2].
Open questions
- The ultimate Proto-Indo-European root '*h₂elgʷʰ-' is a linguistic reconstruction. [2]
Full etymology tree
- arhat (English), 'One who has attained enlightenment; a Buddhist saint.'
- borrowed अर्हत् (arhat) (Sanskrit), 'deserving, entitled to (+ accusative) (RV.)'
- deverbal अर्हति (arhati) (Sanskrit), 'to be worth'
- derived अर्ह् (arh) (Sanskrit), 'to deserve, merit, be worthy of'
- inherited *h₂elgʷʰ- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to cost, have value, be worth'
- suffix -अत् (-at) (Sanskrit), '-ing; ending of the present active participle'
- derived अर्ह् (arh) (Sanskrit), 'to deserve, merit, be worthy of'
- deverbal अर्हति (arhati) (Sanskrit), 'to be worth'
- borrowed अर्हत् (arhat) (Sanskrit), 'deserving, entitled to (+ accusative) (RV.)'
Ancestors
- अर्ह् (Sanskrit)
Cognates and doublets
- arahant (English)
Descendants and derived words
- arhathood (English)
- arhatship (English)
Sources
- arhat (English) - Wiktionary
- अर्ह् (arh) (Sanskrit) - Wiktionary
- अर्हत् (arhat) (Sanskrit) - Wiktionary
Updated August 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris