अक्तु
Sanskrit
Alternative forms
Alternative scripts
- অক্তু (Assamese script)
- ᬅᬓ᭄ᬢᬸ (Balinese script)
- অক্তু (Bengali script)
- 𑰀𑰎𑰿𑰝𑰲 (Bhaiksuki script)
- 𑀅𑀓𑁆𑀢𑀼 (Brahmi script)
- အက္တု (Burmese script)
- અક્તુ (Gujarati script)
- ਅਕ੍ਤੁ (Gurmukhi script)
- 𑌅𑌕𑍍𑌤𑍁 (Grantha script)
- ꦄꦏ꧀ꦠꦸ (Javanese script)
- 𑂃𑂍𑂹𑂞𑂳 (Kaithi script)
- ಅಕ್ತು (Kannada script)
- អក្តុ (Khmer script)
- ອກ຺ຕຸ (Lao script)
- അക്തു (Malayalam script)
- ᠠᡬᢠᡠ (Manchu script)
- 𑘀𑘎𑘿𑘝𑘳 (Modi script)
- ᠠᢉᢐᠤ (Mongolian script)
- 𑦠𑦮𑧠𑦽𑧔 (Nandinagari script)
- 𑐀𑐎𑑂𑐟𑐸 (Newa script)
- ଅକ୍ତୁ (Odia script)
- ꢂꢒ꣄ꢡꢸ (Saurashtra script)
- 𑆃𑆑𑇀𑆠𑆶 (Sharada script)
- 𑖀𑖎𑖿𑖝𑖲 (Siddham script)
- අක්තු (Sinhalese script)
- 𑩐𑩜 𑪙𑩫𑩒 (Soyombo script)
- 𑚀𑚊𑚶𑚙𑚰 (Takri script)
- அக்து (Tamil script)
- అక్తు (Telugu script)
- อกฺตุ (Thai script)
- ཨ་ཀྟུ (Tibetan script)
- 𑒁𑒏𑓂𑒞𑒳 (Tirhuta script)
- 𑨀𑨋𑩇𑨙𑨃 (Zanabazar Square script)
Etymology
Uncertain. Maybe from Proto-Indo-Aryan *aktúṣ, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *aktúš, an ablaut variant of Proto-Indo-European *nokʷt-ú-s (“night”); compare, though with potential phonetic and semantic issues, Ancient Greek ἀκτίς (aktís, “ray, beam”).[1]
Both the Greek and Sanskrit words are traditionally assigned to a root *h₂ek-t- (“ray, beam”), but this fails to explain the “night” and related senses unless the Sanskrit is a merger of two different roots. Also compare Proto-Germanic *unhtwǭ (“last part of the night”).
Mayrhofer prefers a rather more straightforward derivation from अञ्ज् (añj, “to anoint”) + -तु (-tu).[2]
Pronunciation
- (Vedic) IPA(key): /ɐk.tú/, [ɐk̚.tú]
- (Classical Sanskrit) IPA(key): /ɐk.t̪u/, [ɐk̚.t̪u]
Noun
अ॒क्तु • (aktú) stem, m
Declension
| singular | dual | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | अ॒क्तुः (aktúḥ) | अ॒क्तू (aktū́) | अ॒क्तवः॑ (aktávaḥ) |
| accusative | अ॒क्तुम् (aktúm) | अ॒क्तू (aktū́) | अ॒क्तून् (aktū́n) |
| instrumental | अ॒क्तुना॑ (aktúnā) अ॒क्त्वा¹ (aktvā́¹) |
अ॒क्तुभ्या॑म् (aktúbhyām) | अ॒क्तुभिः॑ (aktúbhiḥ) |
| dative | अ॒क्तवे॑ (aktáve) | अ॒क्तुभ्या॑म् (aktúbhyām) | अ॒क्तुभ्यः॑ (aktúbhyaḥ) |
| ablative | अ॒क्तोः (aktóḥ) | अ॒क्तुभ्या॑म् (aktúbhyām) | अ॒क्तुभ्यः॑ (aktúbhyaḥ) |
| genitive | अ॒क्तोः (aktóḥ) | अ॒क्त्वोः (aktvóḥ) | अ॒क्तू॒नाम् (aktūnā́m) |
| locative | अ॒क्तौ (aktáu) | अ॒क्त्वोः (aktvóḥ) | अ॒क्तुषु॑ (aktúṣu) |
| vocative | अक्तो॑ (ákto) | अक्तू॑ (áktū) | अक्त॑वः (áktavaḥ) |
- ¹Vedic
Adverb
अ॒क्तु • (aktú)
References
- ^ Mallory, J. P. with Adams, D. Q. (2006), The Oxford Introduction to Proto-Indo-European and the Proto-Indo-European World (Oxford Linguistics), New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 305
- ^ Mayrhofer, Manfred (1992), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan][1] (in German), volume 1, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 40