Etymograph

English

savaka

Savaka comes from Pali sāvaka ‘holy disciple’, from Sanskrit श्राव ‘hearing, listening’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱlew- ‘to hear’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱlew-1‘to hear’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱlu-1reconstructedzero-grade of *ḱlew-
  3. Sanskritc. 1500–500 BCEश्रु2śru‘to listen, hear’
  4. Sanskritc. 1500–500 BCEश्राव3‘hearing, listening’
  5. Sanskritc. 1500–500 BCEश्रावक4‘holy disciple’
  6. Palimodernsāvaka5‘holy disciple’
  7. Englishtodaysavaka5

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Sanskrit श्रु
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Sanskrit श्राव
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Sanskrit श्रावक
  4. 4 Wiktionary, Pali sāvaka
  5. 5 Wiktionary, English savaka

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱlew-Wiktionary, Sanskrit श्रु‘to hear’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱlu-Wiktionary, Sanskrit श्रुreconstructedzero-grade of *ḱlew-
  3. Sanskritc. 1500–500 BCEश्रुWiktionary, Sanskrit श्रावśru‘to listen, hear’
  4. Sanskritc. 1500–500 BCEश्रावWiktionary, Sanskrit श्रावक‘hearing, listening’
  5. Sanskritc. 1500–500 BCEश्रावकWiktionary, Pali sāvaka‘holy disciple’
  6. PalimodernsāvakaWiktionary, English savaka‘holy disciple’
  7. EnglishtodaysavakaWiktionary, English savaka

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *ḱlew- ‘to hear’

listen, client, loud, scout, linn, leer, lithe, umlaut, 12 more

through Sanskrit श्रु ‘to listen, hear’

shruti, 1 more

Today it means

noun —

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “savaka”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Sanskrit श्रु, Sanskrit श्राव, Sanskrit श्रावक, Pali sāvaka. 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 *ḱlew- / savaka

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