Brahmic
/ˈbrɑː.mɪk/noun
Relating to Brahmi script or to Brahmanical religious and philosophical traditions.
Did you know?Brahmi, first clearly documented in the 3rd century BCE, became the ancestor of most modern Indic scripts, including Devanagari, Bengali, Gujarati, and Tamil.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bʰerǵʰ-
“A reconstructed root associated with rising, swelling, or becoming strong; it is commonly connected with Sanskrit bṛh-.”
Vedic Sanskrit
Sanskrit
bráhman-
“A sacred utterance, prayer, or the power believed to operate through sacred speech.”
Classical Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Brahmī
“Feminine form meaning “of Brahma”; the name later used for the ancient Indian script.”
3rd Century BCE
Prakrit/Sanskrit usage
Brāhmī
“The script represented in Ashokan inscriptions, the earliest extensive evidence for the writing system.”
19th Century
English
Brahmi
“The conventional English name for the ancient South Asian script.”
Modern English
English
Brahmic
“An adjective meaning relating to Brahmi script or Brahmanical traditions.”