महत्

Sanskrit

Alternative forms

Alternative scripts

Etymology

    From Proto-Indo-Iranian *maȷ́ʰā́ (big, great), from Proto-Indo-European *méǵh₂s (idem).[1] Cognate with Middle Persian ms (meh), Ancient Greek μέγας (mégas), Armenian մեծ (mec), Latin magnus, English much.

    Pronunciation

    Adjective

    म॒हत् • (mahát) stem (comparative महीयस्, superlative महिष्ठ)

    1. great, large, big, huge, ample, extensive, long, abundant
      • c. 1500 BCE – 1000 BCE, Ṛgveda 1.114.7:
        मा नो॑ म॒हान्त॑म् उ॒त मा नो॑ अर्भ॒कं मा न॒ उक्ष॑न्तम् उ॒त मा न॑ उक्षि॒तम् ।
        मा नो॑ वधीः पि॒तरं॒ मोत मा॒तरं॒ मा नः॑ प्रि॒यास् त॒न्वो॑ रुद्र रीरिषः ॥
        mā́ no mahā́ntam utá mā́ no arbhakáṃ mā́ na úkṣantam utá mā́ na ukṣitám.
        mā́ no vadhīḥ pitáraṃ mótá mātáraṃ mā́ naḥ priyā́s tanvò rudra rīriṣaḥ.
        O Rudra, harm not either great or small among us, harm not the growing boy, harm not the full-grown man.
        Slay not a sire among us, slay no mother here, and do not harm our own dear bodies, O Rudra.

    Declension

    Masculine at-stem declension of म॒हत्
    singular dual plural
    nominative म॒हान् (mahā́n) म॒हान्तौ॑ (mahā́ntau)
    म॒हान्ता॑¹ (mahā́ntā¹)
    म॒हान्तः॑ (mahā́ntaḥ)
    accusative म॒हान्त॑म् (mahā́ntam)
    महत्² (mahat²)
    म॒हान्तौ॑ (mahā́ntau)
    म॒हान्ता॑¹ (mahā́ntā¹)
    म॒ह॒तः (mahatáḥ)
    instrumental म॒ह॒ता (mahatā́) म॒हद्भ्या॑म् (mahádbhyām) म॒हद्भिः॑ (mahádbhiḥ)
    dative म॒ह॒ते (mahaté) म॒हद्भ्या॑म् (mahádbhyām) म॒हद्भ्यः॑ (mahádbhyaḥ)
    ablative म॒ह॒तः (mahatáḥ) म॒हद्भ्या॑म् (mahádbhyām) म॒हद्भ्यः॑ (mahádbhyaḥ)
    genitive म॒ह॒तः (mahatáḥ) म॒ह॒तोः (mahatóḥ) म॒ह॒ताम् (mahatā́m)
    locative म॒ह॒ति (mahatí) म॒ह॒तोः (mahatóḥ) म॒हत्सु॑ (mahátsu)
    vocative महा॑न् (máhān) महा॑न्तौ (máhāntau)
    महा॑न्ता¹ (máhāntā¹)
    महा॑न्तः (máhāntaḥ)
    • ¹Vedic, ²Epic
    Feminine ī-stem declension of म॒ह॒ती
    singular dual plural
    nominative म॒ह॒ती (mahatī́) म॒ह॒त्यौ॑ (mahatyàu)
    म॒ह॒ती¹ (mahatī́¹)
    म॒ह॒त्यः॑ (mahatyàḥ)
    म॒ह॒तीः¹ (mahatī́ḥ¹)
    accusative म॒ह॒तीम् (mahatī́m) म॒ह॒त्यौ॑ (mahatyàu)
    म॒ह॒ती¹ (mahatī́¹)
    म॒ह॒तीः (mahatī́ḥ)
    instrumental म॒ह॒त्या (mahatyā́) म॒ह॒तीभ्या॑म् (mahatī́bhyām) म॒ह॒तीभिः॑ (mahatī́bhiḥ)
    dative म॒ह॒त्यै (mahatyái) म॒ह॒तीभ्या॑म् (mahatī́bhyām) म॒ह॒तीभ्यः॑ (mahatī́bhyaḥ)
    ablative म॒ह॒त्याः (mahatyā́ḥ)
    म॒ह॒त्यै² (mahatyái²)
    म॒ह॒तीभ्या॑म् (mahatī́bhyām) म॒ह॒तीभ्यः॑ (mahatī́bhyaḥ)
    genitive म॒ह॒त्याः (mahatyā́ḥ)
    म॒ह॒त्यै² (mahatyái²)
    म॒ह॒त्योः (mahatyóḥ) म॒ह॒तीना॑म् (mahatī́nām)
    locative म॒ह॒त्याम् (mahatyā́m) म॒ह॒त्योः (mahatyóḥ) म॒ह॒तीषु॑ (mahatī́ṣu)
    vocative मह॑ति (máhati) मह॑त्यौ (máhatyau)
    मह॑ती¹ (máhatī¹)
    मह॑त्यः (máhatyaḥ)
    मह॑तीः¹ (máhatīḥ¹)
    • ¹Vedic
    • ²Brāhmaṇas
    Neuter at-stem declension of म॒हत्
    singular dual plural
    nominative म॒हत् (mahát) म॒हन्ती॑ (mahántī) म॒हान्ति॑ (mahā́nti)
    accusative म॒हत् (mahát) म॒हन्ती॑ (mahántī) म॒हान्ति॑ (mahā́nti)
    instrumental म॒ह॒ता (mahatā́) म॒हद्भ्या॑म् (mahádbhyām) म॒हद्भिः॑ (mahádbhiḥ)
    dative म॒ह॒ते (mahaté) म॒हद्भ्या॑म् (mahádbhyām) म॒हद्भ्यः॑ (mahádbhyaḥ)
    ablative म॒ह॒तः (mahatáḥ) म॒हद्भ्या॑म् (mahádbhyām) म॒हद्भ्यः॑ (mahádbhyaḥ)
    genitive म॒ह॒तः (mahatáḥ) म॒ह॒तोः (mahatóḥ) म॒ह॒ताम् (mahatā́m)
    locative म॒ह॒ति (mahatí) म॒ह॒तोः (mahatóḥ) म॒हत्सु॑ (mahátsu)
    vocative मह॑त् (máhat) मह॑न्ती (máhantī) महा॑न्ति (máhānti)

    Descendants

    (See also महा (mahā).)

    • Pali: mahant

    References

    1. ^ Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996), “mahā́nt- (> line 2 > mahát)”, in Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎[1] (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 337

    Further reading