Date
Meaning & History
Of uncertain etymology. Possible name elements include the Tocharian elements kän ("to fulfill, to come to pass") and kene ("melody, tune"), and the Indo-Iranian element *kanH ("to love, to take pleasure in, to dig"). Name borne by an eminent emperor of the 1st- or 2nd-century Kushan dynasty known for his political and military achievements, as well as his benevolence and patronage of Buddhism. All that is known about his name is that before it was written in Sanskrit, it was written in Bactrian as Κανηϸκε (Kanēške). However, his native language is posited to be Tocharian, as he was of the Yuezhi ethnicity.