'atman' originates from Sanskrit, specifically the word 'ātman' (आत्मन्), where the root element 'āt-' meant 'breath' or 'life' and came to mean 'self' or 'soul'.

'atman' was used in Vedic and Classical Sanskrit as 'ātman'; the term entered modern English usage in the 19th century through scholarly works on Sanskrit and Indian philosophy and became adopted unchanged as 'atman' in academic and religious contexts.

Initially, in early Vedic contexts it was associated with 'breath' and 'life'; over time it developed the philosophical sense of the eternal inner self or soul that it carries in modern religious and philosophical usage.