māro

māra

masc nom sg of māra (noun)

death; Death; death personified

Built from

mā — root · die, waste
From PIE *mer- 'die, waste away'. The Pali root typically appears as mar- (marati 'dies'); mā- is the zero-grade variant preserved here.
ra — ending · agent, doer
Agent suffix forming a masculine noun: the one who dies, or death personified as an active force.

Etymology. From √mr̥ 'die' (Sanskrit mṛ, Pali marati 'dies'), with the agent suffix -ra. Cognates: Latin mors 'death', English mortal, German Mord 'murder', from Indo-European *mer- 'die, waste away'. In Buddhist doctrinal usage, Māra is the personified power of death and delusion (Pāpiyān, the Evil One), constantly opposing the Buddha's path to nirvana.

Meanings from the Digital Pāḷi Dictionary; morphology and etymology by Claude.

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