Etymograph

English

asana

Asana comes from Sanskrit आसन ‘sitting down’, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁éh₁s-tor ‘to sit’, and perhaps ultimately from *h₁es- ‘to be’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁es-1‘to be’uncertain
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁éh₁s-tor2‘to sit’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Indo-Iranianc. 2500–1800 BCE*HaHstay2reconstructed
  4. Sanskritc. 1500–500 BCEआस्ते3ā́ste‘to sit down’
  5. Sanskritc. 1500–500 BCEआसन3ā́sana, āsaná‘sitting down’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1978asana3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *h₁eh₁s-
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Sanskrit आस्ते
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English asana
  4. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1978, Lawrence Durrell, Livia (Avignon Quintet): “She had taught him several yoga asanas and now…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁es-Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *h₁eh₁s-‘to be’uncertain
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁éh₁s-torWiktionary, Sanskrit आस्ते‘to sit’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Indo-Iranianc. 2500–1800 BCE*HaHstayWiktionary, Sanskrit आस्तेreconstructed
  4. Sanskritc. 1500–500 BCEआस्तेWiktionary, English asanaā́ste‘to sit down’
  5. Sanskritc. 1500–500 BCEआसनWiktionary, English asanaā́sana, āsaná‘sitting down’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1978asanaWiktionary, English asana. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1978, Lawrence Durrell, Livia (Avignon Quintet): “She had taught him several yoga asanas and now…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₁es- ‘to be’

is, am, interest, potential, sin, sinful, soothe, swastika, sooth, quintessence, sinless, 11 more

Today it means

noun A body position, typically associated with the practice of yoga.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “asana”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Indo-European *h₁eh₁s-, Sanskrit आस्ते. 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 *h₁es- / asana

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