महत्

Sanskrit

Alternative forms

• महा (mahā) (form used in compounding)

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• মহত্ (Assamese script)
• ᬫᬳᬢ᭄ (Balinese script)
• মহত্ (Bengali script)
• 𑰦𑰮𑰝𑰿 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀫𑀳𑀢𑁆 (Brahmi script)
• မဟတ် (Burmese script)
• મહત્ (Gujarati script)
• ਮਹਤ੍ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌮𑌹𑌤𑍍 (Grantha script)
• ꦩꦲꦠ꧀ (Javanese script)
• 𑂧𑂯𑂞𑂹 (Kaithi script)
• ಮಹತ್ (Kannada script)
• មហត៑ (Khmer script)
• ມຫຕ຺ (Lao script)
• മഹത് (Malayalam script)
• ᠮᠠᡥᠠᢠ (Manchu script)
• 𑘦𑘮𑘝𑘿 (Modi script)
• ᠮᠠᠾᠠᢐ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧆𑧎𑦽𑧠 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐩𑐴𑐟𑑂 (Newa script)
• ମହତ୍ (Odia script)
• ꢪꢲꢡ꣄ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆩𑆲𑆠𑇀 (Sharada script)
• 𑖦𑖮𑖝𑖿 (Siddham script)
• මහත් (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩴𑪂𑩫 𑪙 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚢𑚩𑚙𑚶 (Takri script)
• மஹத் (Tamil script)
• మహత్ (Telugu script)
• มหตฺ (Thai script)
• མ་ཧ་ཏ྄ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒧𑒯𑒞𑓂 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨢𑨱𑨙𑨴 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *méǵh₂s

Proto-Indo-Iranian *maȷ́ʰā́

Sanskrit महत् (mahat)

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

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /mɐ.ɦɐ́t/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ˈmɐ.ɦɐt̪/

Adjective

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

1. great, large, big, huge, ample, extensive, long, abundant
   • c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda 1.114.7:

     मा नो॑ म॒हान्त॑म्उ॒त मा नो॑ अर्भ॒कं मा न॒ उक्ष॑न्तमु॒त मा न॑ उक्षि॒तम्।
     मा नो॑ वधीः पि॒तरं॒ मोत मा॒तरं॒ मा न॑: प्रि॒यास्त॒न्वो॑ रुद्र रीरिषः॥

     mā́ no mahā́ntamutá mā́ no arbhakáṃ mā́ na úkṣantamutá mā́ na ukṣitám.
     mā́ no vadhīḥ pitáraṃ mótá mātáraṃ mā́ na: priyā́stanvò 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 महत् (mahát)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	महान् mahā́n	महान्तौ / महान्ता¹ mahā́ntau / mahā́ntā¹	महान्तः mahā́ntaḥ
Vocative	महान् máhān	महान्तौ / महान्ता¹ máhāntau / máhāntā¹	महान्तः máhāntaḥ
Accusative	महान्तम् / महत्² mahā́ntam / mahat²	महान्तौ / महान्ता¹ mahā́ntau / mahā́ntā¹	महतः mahatáḥ
Instrumental	महता mahatā́	महद्भ्याम् mahádbhyām	महद्भिः mahádbhiḥ
Dative	महते mahaté	महद्भ्याम् mahádbhyām	महद्भ्यः mahádbhyaḥ
Ablative	महतः mahatáḥ	महद्भ्याम् mahádbhyām	महद्भ्यः mahádbhyaḥ
Genitive	महतः mahatáḥ	महतोः mahatóḥ	महताम् mahatā́m
Locative	महति mahatí	महतोः mahatóḥ	महत्सु mahátsu
Notes	¹Vedic, ²Epic

Feminine ī-stem declension of महती (mahatī́)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	महती mahatī́	महत्यौ / महती¹ mahatyaù / mahatī́¹	महत्यः / महतीः¹ mahatyàḥ / mahatī́ḥ¹
Vocative	महति máhati	महत्यौ / महती¹ máhatyau / máhatī¹	महत्यः / महतीः¹ máhatyaḥ / máhatīḥ¹
Accusative	महतीम् mahatī́m	महत्यौ / महती¹ mahatyaù / mahatī́¹	महतीः mahatī́ḥ
Instrumental	महत्या mahatyā́	महतीभ्याम् mahatī́bhyām	महतीभिः mahatī́bhiḥ
Dative	महत्यै mahatyaí	महतीभ्याम् mahatī́bhyām	महतीभ्यः mahatī́bhyaḥ
Ablative	महत्याः / महत्यै² mahatyā́ḥ / mahatyaí²	महतीभ्याम् mahatī́bhyām	महतीभ्यः mahatī́bhyaḥ
Genitive	महत्याः / महत्यै² mahatyā́ḥ / mahatyaí²	महत्योः mahatyóḥ	महतीनाम् mahatī́nām
Locative	महत्याम् mahatyā́m	महत्योः mahatyóḥ	महतीषु mahatī́ṣu
Notes	¹Vedic ²Brāhmaṇas

Neuter at-stem declension of महत् (mahát)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	महत् mahát	महन्ती mahántī	महान्ति mahā́nti
Vocative	महत् máhat	महन्ती máhantī	महान्ति máhānti
Accusative	महत् mahát	महन्ती mahántī	महान्ति mahā́nti
Instrumental	महता mahatā́	महद्भ्याम् mahádbhyām	महद्भिः mahádbhiḥ
Dative	महते mahaté	महद्भ्याम् mahádbhyām	महद्भ्यः mahádbhyaḥ
Ablative	महतः mahatáḥ	महद्भ्याम् mahádbhyām	महद्भ्यः mahádbhyaḥ
Genitive	महतः mahatáḥ	महतोः mahatóḥ	महताम् mahatā́m
Locative	महति mahatí	महतोः mahatóḥ	महत्सु mahátsu

Descendants

• Assamese: মা- (ma-)
• → Assamese: মহা (moha)
• → Bengali: মহা (moha)
• → Indonesian: maha
• → Malay: maha
• Pali: mahant
  • → Burmese: မဟာ (ma.ha)
  • → Khmer: មហា (mĕəʼhaa)
  • → Thai: มหา (má-hǎa)

Further reading

• Monier Williams (1899) “महत्”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 794/2.