Editing Mahout (section)

== Etymology ==
The word ''mahout'' derives from the [[Hindi]] words ''mahaut'' (महौत) and ''mahavat'' (महावत), and originally from the [[Sanskrit]] ''[[mahamatra]]'' (महामात्र).

Another term is ''cornac'' or ''kornak'', which entered many European languages via [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]]. This word derives ultimately from the Sanskrit term ''karināyaka'',  a [[Compound (linguistics)|compound]] of ''karin'' (elephant) and ''nayaka'' (leader). In [[Kannada]], a person who takes care of elephants is called a ''maavuta,'' and in [[Telugu language|Telugu]] the word used is ''mavati''; this word is also derived from Sanskrit.  In [[Tamil language|Tamil]], the word used is ''pahan'', which means "elephant keeper", and in [[Sinhala language|Sinhala]] {{Transliteration|si|kurawanayaka}} ("stable master"). In [[Malayalam]] the word used is ''paappaan''.

In [[Myanmar|Burma]], the profession is called ''u-si''; in [[Thailand]] ''kwan-chang'' (ควาญช้าง); and in [[Vietnam]] ''quản tượng''.