Tuesday, 13 January 2009

dharma and farm

It would be cool if dharma and farm were shown to derive, sound for sound, from the same Proto-Indo-European preform. But that's not the case, altho they are from the same root: *dʰer- "to hold firmly, support". Sanskrit धर्म dharma "steadfast decree, statute, ordinance, law" is from *dʰer-mn̥-. Engish farm is from French ferme from Latin firmus "firm, strong" from *dʰer-mo-. Originally, farm meant "a fixed yearly amount", then later "a tract of land held on lease for the purpose of cultivation".

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