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Where does the word "mynah" come from? It comes from Sanskrit madana, passing through Hindi before entering English (1769).
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Where does the word "mynah" come from? It comes from Sanskrit madana, passing through Hindi before entering English (1769).
Mynah’s story begins in Sanskrit: madana meant “delightful, joyful.” Root meaning 'delightful, gladdening'. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Hindi as maina. Became the name of the talkative songbird. It reached English by 1769 as mynah. British naturalists in India adopted the Hindi bird name. Today, mynah means any of several Asian starlings known for their ability to mimic human speech.
- Stage 1 · Sanskrit · ancient madana "delightful, joyful", root meaning 'delightful, gladdening'.
- Stage 2 · Hindi · medieval maina "the mynah bird", became the name of the talkative songbird.
- Stage 3 · English · 1769 mynah "a talkative Asian starling known for mimicking speech", British naturalists in India adopted the Hindi bird name.