Etymograph

English

ayubowan

Ayubowan comes from Sinhalese ආයුබෝවන් ‘may you live long and be healthy’, from Sanskrit आयु ‘life’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ey-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ey-1‘vital force, life, age, eternity’uncertain
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂óyu2‘long time, lifetime’uncertain
  3. Proto-Indo-Iranianc. 2500–1800 BCE*Hā́yu2‘lifetime, life’uncertain
  4. Proto-Indo-Aryanprehistoric (reconstructed)*Hā́yu2uncertain
  5. Sanskritc. 1500–500 BCEआयु3‘life’uncertain
  6. Sinhalesemodernආයුබෝවන්4āyubōwan‘may you live long and be healthy’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1963ayubowan4

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *h₂óyu
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Sanskrit आयु
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Sinhalese ආයුබෝවන්
  4. 4 Wiktionary, English ayubowan
  5. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1963, Punyakante Wijenaike, The third woman and other stories - Part 1963: “"Ayubowan, I am looking for a yam for my…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ey-Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *h₂óyu‘vital force, life, age, eternity’uncertain
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂óyuWiktionary, Sanskrit आयु‘long time, lifetime’uncertain
  3. Proto-Indo-Iranianc. 2500–1800 BCE*Hā́yuWiktionary, Sanskrit आयु‘lifetime, life’uncertain
  4. Proto-Indo-Aryanprehistoric (reconstructed)*Hā́yuWiktionary, Sanskrit आयुuncertain
  5. Sanskritc. 1500–500 BCEआयुWiktionary, Sinhalese ආයුබෝවන්‘life’uncertain
  6. Sinhalesemodernආයුබෝවන්Wiktionary, English ayubowanāyubōwan‘may you live long and be healthy’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1963ayubowanWiktionary, English ayubowan. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1963, Punyakante Wijenaike, The third woman and other stories - Part 1963: “"Ayubowan, I am looking for a yam for my…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂ey- ‘vital force, life, age, eternity’

early, young, era, diet, enigma, ere, 22 more

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂óyu ‘long time, lifetime’

yet, age, junior, juvenile, longevity, juvenal, 6 more

Today it means

intj Salutation wishing the recipient a long life, typically as a greeting or a goodbye.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “ayubowan”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Indo-European *h₂óyu, Sanskrit आयु, Sinhalese ආයුබෝවන්. 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 *h₂ey- / ayubowan

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