One of us is learning Sanskrit and we were amazed to see how some English words can be associated with this ancient, Indian language.
- Matru (mother in Sanskrit) is said to have led to ‘mother’ in English.
- Piba (drink in Sanskrit) is said to have inspired ‘pub’ – a place where you can drink.
- Ghritam (ghee in Sanskrit) could have led to its modern, English equivalent: ghee.
- Sharkara could have inspired its English counterpart, sugar.
Similarly, English words, navigation and suture are said to trace their origins to Sanskrit words, navagathi (meaning to travel by boat) and sutra (a common thread binding things together.)
If the Jagganath rath yatra at Puri (Orissa) inspired the word juggernaut, then some English words we know today could well be versions of the Sanskrit ones, iterated time and again.
