Word history
Monier-Williams (1899) records mahāmuni with the sense “great sage”. Mahāmuni is a transparent compound of mahā, great, and muni, sage. The dictionary records both the general title and particular literary applications of it. महामुनि writes the two parts together. The translation therefore keeps the sense of a great sage, rather than inventing an occupational history for a modern surname. The first element is the long form mahā.
Sources: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899) · headword mahāmuni, page 799, column 1, entry L160420 · Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899) · headword mahāmuni, page 799, column 1, entry L160422
Literal dictionary sense
Native-script forms
Sources and attribution
- Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899) · headword mahāmuni, page 799, column 1, entry L160420
- Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899) · headword mahāmuni, page 799, column 1, entry L160422
Dictionary senses and word histories are selected and adapted. Adapted lexical text is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Linked Wiktionary entries provide contributor histories. Source register.