Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-Iranian/mántras

This Proto-Indo-Iranian entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Indo-Iranian

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *men-

Proto-Indo-European *-tḗr

Proto-Indo-European *-trom

Proto-Indo-Iranian *mántras

From *man- (“to think”, from Proto-Indo-European *men-) +‎ *-tras (masculine variant of more common neuter *-tram, from Proto-Indo-European *-trom).

Noun

*mántras m^[1] (religion)

meditation, chanting

Declension

masculine a-stem
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*mántras	*mántrā(w)	*mántrās(as)
vocative	*mántra	*mántrā(w)	*mántrās(as)
accusative	*mántram	*mántrā(w)	*mántrāns
instrumental	*mántraH	*mántraybʰyā(m)	*mántrāyš
ablative	*mántrāt	*mántraybʰyā(m)	*mántraybʰyas
dative	*mántrāy	*mántraybʰyā(m)	*mántraybʰyas
genitive	*mántrasya	*mántrayās	*mántrānaHam
locative	*mántray	*mántrayaw	*mántrayšu

Related terms

Derived terms

*mántra-kā́ras (“soothsayer”)
- Proto-Indo-Aryan: *mántrakā́ra
  - Sanskrit: मन्त्रकार (mántrakāra, “reciter, incantator”)
- Proto-Iranian: *mánθra-kā́rah
  - Sogdian: (/⁠mārkarē(k)⁠/, “soothsayer”)
    Sogdian script: 𐼺𐼰𐽀𐼸𐽀𐼰𐼷‎ (mʾrkrʾy‎), 𐼺𐼰𐽀𐼸𐽀𐼰𐼸 (mʾrkrʾk)
  - Parthian: (/⁠mahrīgar ~ mārigar⁠/, “sorcerer, incantator”)
    Manichaean script: 𐫖𐫀𐫡𐫏𐫃𐫡 (mʾrygr), 𐫖𐫍𐫡𐫏𐫃𐫡 (mhrygr)
    - → Aghwan: 𐕌𐔰𐕙𐕘𐔰𐕛𐔴𐕎 (marġaven, “prophet”)
    - → Old Armenian: մարգարէ (margarē, “prophet”)
      - Armenian: մարգարե (margare)
    - → Classical Persian: مارگر (mārgar, “incantator”)

Descendants

Proto-Indo-Aryan: *mántras
- Sanskrit: मन्त्र (mántra) (see there for further descendants)
Proto-Iranian: *mánθrah
- Avestan: 𐬨𐬄𐬚𐬭𐬀 m (mąθra)
  - → Middle Persian: (/⁠māns^ar⁠/, “holy word, spell”)
    Book Pahlavi script: [Book Pahlavi needed] (mʾnsl)
    - Classical Persian: منتر (mantar, “spell”)
      Iranian Persian: منتر (mantar, “wondering”)
      - → Pashto: منتر (mantar, “spell; charm”)
- Wakhi: (/⁠mutr⁠/, “horoscope; omen”)
  Arabic script: مؤتر
  
  Cyrillic script: мутр (mutr)
- Pashto: مرۍ (marə́j, “talisman;charm”)
- Old Median: *mánθrah
  - → Old Persian: *manθrah
    - Manichaean Middle Persian: 𐫖𐫍𐫡 (mhr /⁠mahr⁠/, “hymn”)
      - Dari: مار (mār, “think, spell”) (as a complex: بدمار (badmâr, “evil; sly (lit.) who has a bad spell or hymn”))
- Parthian: (/⁠mahr⁠/, “hymn”)
  Manichaean script: 𐫖𐫍𐫡 (mhr)

References

^ Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996), “mántra-”, in Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎^[1] (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 311