Etymograph

English

artha

Artha comes from Sanskrit अर्थ ‘wealth’, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *Hártʰam ‘matter, object, purpose’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁er- ‘to arrive, get somewhere’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁er-1‘to arrive, get somewhere’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁er-tHo-m1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Indo-Iranianc. 2500–1800 BCE*Hártʰam1‘matter, object, purpose’reconstructed
  4. Sanskritc. 1500–500 BCEअर्थ2artha‘wealth’
  5. Englishtodayartha2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Sanskrit अर्थ
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English artha

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁er-Wiktionary, Sanskrit अर्थ‘to arrive, get somewhere’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁er-tHo-mWiktionary, Sanskrit अर्थreconstructed
  3. Proto-Indo-Iranianc. 2500–1800 BCE*HártʰamWiktionary, Sanskrit अर्थ‘matter, object, purpose’reconstructed
  4. Sanskritc. 1500–500 BCEअर्थWiktionary, English arthaartha‘wealth’
  5. EnglishtodayarthaWiktionary, English artha

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₁er- ‘to arrive, get somewhere’

earth, 2 more

Today it means

noun One of the four aims of human life in Indian philosophy, along with dharma (righteousness), kama (desire), and moksha (liberation). The concept is variously translated, with translations including "meaning"/"purpose"/"goal" and "wealth".

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “artha”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Sanskrit अर्थ. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₁er- / artha

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