महा

Hindi

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit महा (mahā), combining form of महत् (mahat).

Pronunciation

(Standard Hindi) IPA^(key): /mə.ɦɑː/, [mɐ.ɦäː]

Adjective

महा • (mahā) (indeclinable, Urdu spelling مَہا)

great, massive, large-scale, epic
महा संकट ― mahā saṅkaṭ ― a great disaster
valorous, heroic
एक महा वीर ― ek mahā vīr ― a noble man

Pali

Alternative forms

Alternative scripts

mahā (Latin script)
𑀫𑀳𑀸 (Brahmi script)
মহা (Bengali script)
මහා (Sinhalese script)
မဟာ or မႁႃ (Burmese script)
มหา or มะหา (Thai script)
ᨾᩉᩣ (Tai Tham script)
ມຫາ or ມະຫາ (Lao script)
មហា (Khmer script)
𑄟𑄦𑄂 (Chakma script)

Noun

महा (mahā)

ablative singular of मह (maha), Devanagari script form of maha
nominative/vocative plural of मह (maha), Devanagari script form of maha

Adjective

महा (mahā)

masculine/neuter vocative singular of महन्त् (mahant), Devanagari script form of mahant

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

মহা (Assamese script)
ᬫᬳᬵ (Balinese script)
মহা (Bengali script)
𑰦𑰮𑰯 (Bhaiksuki script)
𑀫𑀳𑀸 (Brahmi script)
မဟာ (Burmese script)
મહા (Gujarati script)
ਮਹਾ (Gurmukhi script)
𑌮𑌹𑌾 (Grantha script)
ꦩꦲꦴ (Javanese script)
𑂧𑂯𑂰 (Kaithi script)
ಮಹಾ (Kannada script)
មហា (Khmer script)
ມຫາ (Lao script)
മഹാ (Malayalam script)
ᠮᠠᡥᠠᢇ (Manchu script)
𑘦𑘮𑘰 (Modi script)
ᠮᠠᠾᠠ᠋᠎ᠠ (Mongolian script)
𑧆𑧎𑧑 (Nandinagari script)
𑐩𑐴𑐵 (Newa script)
ମହା (Odia script)
ꢪꢲꢵ (Saurashtra script)
𑆩𑆲𑆳 (Sharada script)
𑖦𑖮𑖯 (Siddham script)
මහා (Sinhalese script)
𑩴𑪂𑩛 (Soyombo script)
𑚢𑚩𑚭 (Takri script)
மஹா (Tamil script)
మహా (Telugu script)
มหา (Thai script)
མ་ཧཱ (Tibetan script)
𑒧𑒯𑒰 (Tirhuta script)
𑨢𑨱𑨊 (Zanabazar Square script)

Pronunciation

(Vedic) IPA^(key): /mɐ.ɦɑː/
(Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /mɐ.ɦɑː/

Prefix

म॒हा • (mahā́)

combining form of म॒हत् (mahát)

Derived terms

पितामह (pitāmaha)
महत्त्व (mahattva)
महर्द्धिक (maharddhika)
महाकवि (mahākavi)
महाकाल (mahākāla)
महाकाली (mahākālī)
महाकाव्य (mahākāvya)
महाकाश्यप (mahākāśyapa)
महाजनपद (mahājanapada)
महापद्म (mahāpadma)
महाप्राण (mahāprāṇa)
महाभूत (mahābhūta)
महायान (mahāyāna)
महायुद्ध (mahāyuddha)
महार्घ (mahārgha)
महार्णव (mahārṇava)
महावीर (mahāvīra)
महासिद्ध (mahāsiddha)
महिला (mahilā)
महेन्द्र (mahendra)
महेश (maheśa)
महोत्सव (mahotsava)
म॒हर्षि॑ (mahárṣi)
म॒हाग॑ज (mahā́gaja)
म॒हा॒त्मन् (mahātmán)
म॒हा॒दे॒व (mahādevá)
म॒हा॒भार॑त (mahābhā́rata)
म॒हा॒राज॑न् (mahārā́jan)
म॒हा॒राष्ट्र॑ (mahārā́ṣṭra)
म॒हि॒ष (mahiṣá)
म॒हे॒श्व॒र (maheśvará)

Descendants

→ Assamese: মহা (moha), ⇒ মাদৈ (madoi)
→ Bengali: মহা (moha)
→? Dravidian:
- Gondi: [script needed] (māy)
- Old Kannada: ಮಾ (mā)
- Old Tamil: 𑀫𑀸 (mā)
  - Tamil: மா (mā), மா- (mā-)
  - Malayalam: മാ (mā)
→ Hindi: महा (mahā)
→ Malay: maha
- > Indonesian: maha (inherited)
→ Tamil: மகா (makā), மஹா (mahā) (learned)
→ Chinese: 摩訶 / 摩诃 (móhē)

Further reading

Monier Williams (1899), “महा”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 794, column 3.