English
karma
Karma comes from Sanskrit कर्मन् ‘an act, action, performance, business’, from कृ ‘to do’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kʷer- ‘to do, make’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷer-‘to do, make’reconstructed
- Sanskritc. 1500–500 BCEकृkṛ‘to do’
- Sanskrit, derivedc. 1500–500 BCEकर्मन्kármaas कर्म‘an act, action, performance, business’
- Englishearliest quotation 2001karma
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷer-‘to do, make’reconstructed
- Sanskritc. 1500–500 BCEकृkṛ‘to do’
- Sanskrit, derivedc. 1500–500 BCEकर्मन्kármaas कर्म‘an act, action, performance, business’
- Englishearliest quotation 2001karma
Earliest quotation: 2001, Inside the Hits: “That means everything from lighting to the vibes, the…”
first attested of कर्मन् (kárman, “act, action, performance”); first attested in English in 1785 in a translation of the Bhagavad Gita by Charles Wilkins (as stated in the etymology)
The story
Borrowed from Sanskrit कर्म (kárma), nom.sg. of कर्मन् (kárman, “act, action, performance”); first attested in English in 1785 in a translation of the Bhagavad Gita by Charles Wilkins.
Linked words
through Sanskrit कर्मन् ‘an act, action, performance, business’
Today it means
noun The sum total of a person's actions, which determine the person's next incarnation in samsara, the cycle of death and rebirth.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *kʷer- / karma