Etymograph

English

chakra

Chakra comes from Hindi चक्र and directly from Sanskrit चक्र ‘wheel, disc’, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kʷékʷlos ‘wheel’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷékʷlos1‘wheel’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Iranianc. 2500–1800 BCE*čakrám1‘wheel’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Indo-Aryanprehistoric (reconstructed)*ćakrám1reconstructed
  4. Sanskritc. 1500–500 BCEचक्र2‘wheel, disc, cycle’
  5. Hindic. 1500–presentचक्र3cakra
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1911chakra3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Sanskrit चक्र
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Hindi चक्र
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English chakra
  4. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1911, Calendar of Persian Correspondence...: “...bahlis, chakras, bullock-carts, dolis, tattus, palkis, miyanas, kharkharinas, bajras…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷékʷlosWiktionary, Sanskrit चक्र‘wheel’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Iranianc. 2500–1800 BCE*čakrámWiktionary, Sanskrit चक्र‘wheel’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Indo-Aryanprehistoric (reconstructed)*ćakrámWiktionary, Sanskrit चक्रreconstructed
  4. Sanskritc. 1500–500 BCEचक्रWiktionary, Hindi चक्र‘wheel, disc, cycle’
  5. Hindic. 1500–presentचक्रWiktionary, English chakracakra
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1911chakraWiktionary, English chakra. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1911, Calendar of Persian Correspondence...: “...bahlis, chakras, bullock-carts, dolis, tattus, palkis, miyanas, kharkharinas, bajras…”

The story

As a synonym for hackery, either a correction or hypercorrection of that term based on one of its proposed etymologies.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

pairs

  • chakra and wheel both from Proto-Indo-European *kʷékʷlos ‘wheel’

through Proto-Indo-European *kʷékʷlos ‘wheel’

cycle, cyclic, kike, cyclamen, 15 more

Today it means

noun Any of (at least) seven centres of spiritual energy in or near the body, according to Ayurveda philosophy.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “chakra”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Sanskrit चक्र, Hindi चक्र. 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 *kʷékʷlos / chakra

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