महा

Hindi

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit महा (mahā), combining form of महत् (mahat).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Hindi) IPA^(key): /mə.ɦɑː/, [mɐ.ɦäː]

Adjective

महा • (mahā) (indeclinable, Urdu spelling مَہا)

1. great, massive, large-scale, epic

   महा संकट ― mahā saṅkaṭ ― a great disaster

2. valorous, heroic

   एक महा वीर ― ek mahā vīr ― a noble man

Pali

Alternative forms

Alternative scripts

• mahā (Latin script)
• 𑀫𑀳𑀸 (Brahmi script)
• মহা (Bengali script)
• මහා (Sinhalese script)
• မဟာ or မႁႃ (Burmese script)
• มหา or มะหา (Thai script)
• ᨾᩉᩣ (Tai Tham script)
• ມຫາ or ມະຫາ (Lao script)
• មហា (Khmer script)
• 𑄟𑄦𑄂 (Chakma script)

Noun

महा (mahā)

1. ablative singular of मह (maha), Devanagari script form of maha
2. nominative/vocative plural of मह (maha), Devanagari script form of maha

Adjective

महा (mahā)

1. masculine/neuter vocative singular of महन्त् (mahant), Devanagari script form of mahant

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• মহা (Assamese script)
• ᬫᬳᬵ (Balinese script)
• মহা (Bengali script)
• 𑰦𑰮𑰯 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀫𑀳𑀸 (Brahmi script)
• မဟာ (Burmese script)
• મહા (Gujarati script)
• ਮਹਾ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌮𑌹𑌾 (Grantha script)
• ꦩꦲꦴ (Javanese script)
• 𑂧𑂯𑂰 (Kaithi script)
• ಮಹಾ (Kannada script)
• មហា (Khmer script)
• ມຫາ (Lao script)
• മഹാ (Malayalam script)
• ᠮᠠᡥᠠᢇ (Manchu script)
• 𑘦𑘮𑘰 (Modi script)
• ᠮᠠᠾᠠ᠋᠎ᠠ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧆𑧎𑧑 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐩𑐴𑐵 (Newa script)
• ମହା (Odia script)
• ꢪꢲꢵ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆩𑆲𑆳 (Sharada script)
• 𑖦𑖮𑖯 (Siddham script)
• මහා (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩴𑪂𑩛 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚢𑚩𑚭 (Takri script)
• மஹா (Tamil script)
• మహా (Telugu script)
• มหา (Thai script)
• མ་ཧཱ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒧𑒯𑒰 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨢𑨱𑨊 (Zanabazar Square script)

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /mɐ.ɦɑː/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /mɐ.ɦɑː/

Prefix

म॒हा • (mahā́)

1. combining form of म॒हत् (mahát)

Derived terms

• महर्द्धिक (maharddhika)
• म॒हर्षि॑ (mahárṣi)
• महाकवि (mahākavi)
• महाकाल (mahākāla)
• महाकाली (mahākālī)
• महाकाव्य (mahākāvya)
• महाकाश्यप (mahākāśyapa)
• महागज (mahāgaja)
• महाजनपद (mahājanapada)
• म॒हा॒त्मन् (mahātmán)
• म॒हा॒दे॒व (mahādevá)
• महापद्म (mahāpadma)
• महाप्राण (mahāprāṇa)
• म॒हा॒भार॑त (mahābhā́rata)
• महाभूत (mahābhūta)
• महायान (mahāyāna)
• महायुद्ध (mahāyuddha)
• म॒हा॒राज॑न् (mahārā́jan)
• म॒हा॒राष्ट्र॑ (mahārā́ṣṭra)
• महार्घ (mahārgha)
• महार्णव (mahārṇava)
• म॒हा॒वी॒र (mahāvīrá)
• महासिद्ध (mahāsiddha)
• महेन्द्र (mahendra)
• महेश (maheśa)
• म॒हे॒श्व॒र (maheśvará)
• महोत्सव (mahotsava)

Descendants

• → Assamese: মহা (moha), ⇒ মাদৈ (madoi)
• → Bengali: মহা (moha)
• →? Dravidian:
  • Gondi: [script needed] (māy)
  • Old Kannada: ಮಾ (mā)
  • Old Tamil: 𑀫𑀸 (mā)
    • Tamil: மா (mā), மா- (mā-)
    • Malayalam: മാ (mā)
• → Hindi: महा (mahā)
• → Malay: maha
  • > Indonesian: maha (inherited)
• → Tamil: மகா (makā), மஹா (mahā) (learned)
• → Chinese: 摩訶 / 摩诃 (móhē)

Adjective

म॒हा • (mahā́) (Rigvedic)

1. neuter nominative/accusative plural of म॒ह (mahá)

Further reading

• Monier Williams (1899), “महा”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 794, column 3.