Etymograph

English

buddhi

Buddhi comes from Sanskrit बुद्धि ‘intelligence’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *bʰewdʰ- ‘to be awake’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰewdʰ-1‘to be awake’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰúdʰtis1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Indo-Iranianc. 2500–1800 BCE*bʰúdᶻdʰiš1reconstructed
  4. Proto-Indo-Aryanprehistoric (reconstructed)*búddʰiṣ1reconstructed
  5. Sanskritc. 1500–500 BCEबुद्धि2‘intelligence’
  6. Englishtodaybuddhi2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Sanskrit बुद्धि
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English buddhi

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰewdʰ-Wiktionary, Sanskrit बुद्धि‘to be awake’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰúdʰtisWiktionary, Sanskrit बुद्धिreconstructed
  3. Proto-Indo-Iranianc. 2500–1800 BCE*bʰúdᶻdʰišWiktionary, Sanskrit बुद्धिreconstructed
  4. Proto-Indo-Aryanprehistoric (reconstructed)*búddʰiṣWiktionary, Sanskrit बुद्धिreconstructed
  5. Sanskritc. 1500–500 BCEबुद्धिWiktionary, English buddhi‘intelligence’
  6. EnglishtodaybuddhiWiktionary, English buddhi

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *bʰewdʰ- ‘to be awake’

body, bid, abode, bode, bede, beadle, verboten, 2 more

Today it means

noun A transpersonal faculty of mind higher than the rational mind that might be translated as ‘intuitive intelligence’ or simply ‘higher mind’. It is ‘that which knows’, i.e. able to discern truth from falsehood.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “buddhi”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Sanskrit बुद्धि. 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 *bʰewdʰ- / buddhi

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