Re: "silent" in Sanskrit?
in reply to a message by Ylva
Correct. The root is probably related to man to think cognate to English mean. The word muni probably meant an inspired man, and was usually used for an ascetic devoted to meditation. mauna/maunI, technically a patronymic from that, originally meant a saintly person, but as is wont, the silence alone became indicative of deep thoughts, and today mauni simply means silent.