Does anyone have an opinion on the etymology of the word マラ, a crude term for penis? Any thoughts on usage are also appreciated.
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3The etymology is written on the page you referenced.– fefeDec 7, 2011 at 2:07
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i can't copy or use rikai chan on the computer I'm using now so i was hoping some kind soul like you would offer their two cents.– yadokariDec 7, 2011 at 5:04
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Note that the above link no longer works. The answer quoting the page is thus pretty helpful.– AHelpsFeb 6, 2015 at 23:33
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1 Answer
Quoting from the page you mentioned:
マラwas originally a word used by monks, and there is a prevailing view that the etymology comes from a transliteration of the Sanskrit "Mara" meaning "evil god who prevents good conduct, Klesha which amounts to an obstruction to Satori", but it's not known if that is accurate.Otherwise, there is a theory that the etymology of
マラis from an alternative form of the verb放{ま}るmeaning "excretion", a theory that it came from茎{くき}to be真茎{マラ}and a theory that it came from末裸{マラ}among others.
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thanks cypher, I'm leaving this up to see if anyone has any other opinions. @grimm, I presume because it derives from Sanskrit (though many words from sanskrit have kanji from the chinese) and because it's a curse word.– yadokariDec 8, 2011 at 23:52
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@AndrewGrimm that's a question I'm probably not able to answer (it's not even known if it did come from the Sanskrit word), but I think it sometimes is also written with the ateji
魔羅and摩羅. Because it's a colloquial word would be my best guess.– cypherDec 9, 2011 at 0:34 -
I think if the questioner found out the "correct definition", you need to pay veeeeeeeeeeeerrrrryyyyyyyyyyyy careful attention when to use it. It is even in colloquially used in conversation between thugs, Yakuzas are O.K. Well, at the office, you well good have a chance to be labelled like a dolt, dumbbelss, douch, on and on...– user7644Feb 7, 2015 at 5:08