Word history
Wiktionary records वर्मा (varmā) as a Hindi surname. The entry traces the written surname to Sanskrit varman. Monier-Williams gives the concrete sense defensive armour or a coat of mail. वर्मा has the later final vowel used in the surname spelling. The physical object supplies the literal comparison; the word does not prove that a household held any historical military position.
Sources: Wiktionary contributors · Hindi entry, etymology and surname sense · Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899) · headword varman, page 926, column 2, entry L187800
Literal dictionary sense
Native-script forms
Spelling variants
Varma.
Sources and attribution
- Wiktionary contributors · Hindi entry, etymology and surname sense
- Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899) · headword varman, page 926, column 2, entry L187800
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.