यक्ष
Sanskrit
Alternative scripts
Alternative scripts
- যক্ষ (Assamese script)
- ᬬᬓ᭄ᬱ (Balinese script)
- যক্ষ (Bengali script)
- 𑰧𑰎𑰿𑰬 (Bhaiksuki script)
- 𑀬𑀓𑁆𑀱 (Brahmi script)
- ယက္ၑ (Burmese script)
- યક્ષ (Gujarati script)
- ਯਕ੍ਸ਼ (Gurmukhi script)
- 𑌯𑌕𑍍𑌷 (Grantha script)
- ꦪꦏ꧀ꦰ (Javanese script)
- 𑂨𑂍𑂹𑂭 (Kaithi script)
- ಯಕ್ಷ (Kannada script)
- យក្ឞ (Khmer script)
- ຍກ຺ຩ (Lao script)
- യക്ഷ (Malayalam script)
- ᠶᠠᡬᢢᠠ (Manchu script)
- 𑘧𑘎𑘿𑘬 (Modi script)
- ᠶ᠋ᠠᢉᢔᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
- 𑧇𑦮𑧠𑧌 (Nandinagari script)
- 𑐫𑐎𑑂𑐲 (Newa script)
- ଯକ୍ଷ (Odia script)
- ꢫꢒ꣄ꢰ (Saurashtra script)
- 𑆪𑆑𑇀𑆰 (Sharada script)
- 𑖧𑖎𑖿𑖬 (Siddham script)
- යක්ෂ (Sinhalese script)
- 𑩻𑩜 𑪙𑪀 (Soyombo script)
- 𑚣𑚊𑚶 (Takri script)
- யக்ஷ (Tamil script)
- యక్ష (Telugu script)
- ยกฺษ (Thai script)
- ཡ་ཀྵ (Tibetan script)
- 𑒨𑒏𑓂𑒭 (Tirhuta script)
- 𑨪𑨋𑩇𑨯 (Zanabazar Square script)
Etymology
From the root यक्ष् (yakṣ, “to appear, show oneself”), related to Persian نشان (nešân, “sign, mark”); see there for more on the Indo-Iranian root.
Various other proposals have been suggested, such as an s-extension of यजति (yajati, “to worship; to sacrifice”), or a connection to याशु (yāśu, “sexual effusion, embrace”); these are phonetically and/or semantically unconvincing.
Pronunciation
- (Vedic) IPA(key): /jɐk.ʂɐ́/
- (Classical Sanskrit) IPA(key): /jɐk.ʂɐ/
Noun
य॒क्ष • (yakṣá) stem, n
- (Hinduism, Buddhism) a yaksha; a supernatural being, spiritual apparition, spirit, ghost
Declension
| singular | dual | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | य॒क्षम् (yakṣám) | य॒क्षे (yakṣé) | य॒क्षाणि॑ (yakṣā́ṇi) य॒क्षा¹ (yakṣā́¹) |
| accusative | य॒क्षम् (yakṣám) | य॒क्षे (yakṣé) | य॒क्षाणि॑ (yakṣā́ṇi) य॒क्षा¹ (yakṣā́¹) |
| instrumental | य॒क्षेण॑ (yakṣéṇa) | य॒क्षाभ्या॑म् (yakṣā́bhyām) | य॒क्षैः (yakṣáiḥ) य॒क्षेभिः॑¹ (yakṣébhiḥ¹) |
| dative | य॒क्षाय॑ (yakṣā́ya) | य॒क्षाभ्या॑म् (yakṣā́bhyām) | य॒क्षेभ्यः॑ (yakṣébhyaḥ) |
| ablative | य॒क्षात् (yakṣā́t) | य॒क्षाभ्या॑म् (yakṣā́bhyām) | य॒क्षेभ्यः॑ (yakṣébhyaḥ) |
| genitive | य॒क्षस्य॑ (yakṣásya) | य॒क्षयोः॑ (yakṣáyoḥ) | य॒क्षाणा॑म् (yakṣā́ṇām) |
| locative | य॒क्षे (yakṣé) | य॒क्षयोः॑ (yakṣáyoḥ) | य॒क्षेषु॑ (yakṣéṣu) |
| vocative | यक्ष॑ (yákṣa) | यक्षे॑ (yákṣe) | यक्षा॑णि (yákṣāṇi) यक्षा॑¹ (yákṣā¹) |
- ¹Vedic
Derived terms
- यक्षि (yakṣi) (a female yaksha)
- यक्षिणी (yakṣiṇī) (a female yaksha)
Noun
य॒क्ष • (yakṣá) stem, m
- a class of semi-divine beings (attendants of Kubera, exceptionally also of Vishṇu; described as sons of Pulastya, of Pulaha, of Kaśyapa, of Khasā or Krodhā.)
Declension
| singular | dual | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | य॒क्षः (yakṣáḥ) | य॒क्षौ (yakṣáu) य॒क्षा¹ (yakṣā́¹) |
य॒क्षाः (yakṣā́ḥ) य॒क्षासः॑¹ (yakṣā́saḥ¹) |
| accusative | य॒क्षम् (yakṣám) | य॒क्षौ (yakṣáu) य॒क्षा¹ (yakṣā́¹) |
य॒क्षान् (yakṣā́n) |
| instrumental | य॒क्षेण॑ (yakṣéṇa) | य॒क्षाभ्या॑म् (yakṣā́bhyām) | य॒क्षैः (yakṣáiḥ) य॒क्षेभिः॑¹ (yakṣébhiḥ¹) |
| dative | य॒क्षाय॑ (yakṣā́ya) | य॒क्षाभ्या॑म् (yakṣā́bhyām) | य॒क्षेभ्यः॑ (yakṣébhyaḥ) |
| ablative | य॒क्षात् (yakṣā́t) | य॒क्षाभ्या॑म् (yakṣā́bhyām) | य॒क्षेभ्यः॑ (yakṣébhyaḥ) |
| genitive | य॒क्षस्य॑ (yakṣásya) | य॒क्षयोः॑ (yakṣáyoḥ) | य॒क्षाणा॑म् (yakṣā́ṇām) |
| locative | य॒क्षे (yakṣé) | य॒क्षयोः॑ (yakṣáyoḥ) | य॒क्षेषु॑ (yakṣéṣu) |
| vocative | यक्ष॑ (yákṣa) | यक्षौ॑ (yákṣau) यक्षा॑¹ (yákṣā¹) |
यक्षाः॑ (yákṣāḥ) यक्षा॑सः¹ (yákṣāsaḥ¹) |
- ¹Vedic
Descendants
- → Chinese: 夜叉 (yècha)
- → Japanese: 藥叉 (yakusha)
- Dardic:
- Kalasha: ǰ̣ač̣
- → English: yaksha
- → Kannada: ಯಕ್ಷ (yakṣa)
- Maharastri Prakrit: 𑀚𑀓𑁆𑀔 (jakkha)
- → Manchu: ᠶᠠᡴᠴᠠ (yakca)
- Paisaci Prakrit:
- Punjabi: ਜੱਖ (jakkha)
- Pali: yakkha
- Sauraseni Prakrit: 𑀚𑀓𑁆𑀔 (jakkha)
- Old Gujarati: जाख (jākha)
- Old Hindi: जाक (jāka)
- → Lü: ᦍᧅ (yak)
- → Old Javanese: yakṣa
- → Telugu: యక్షుడు (yakṣuḍu)
- → Thai: ยักษ์ (yák)
- → Tocharian B: yākṣe
- → Proto-Turkic: *jAkšɨ (“good”) (perhaps)
References
- Monier Williams (1899), “यक्ष”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 838/2.
- Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996), “yákar - YAKṢ-”, in Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan][1] (in German), volume II, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 391
- Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996), “yā́śu- — yugá-”, in Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan][2] (in German), volume II, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 412
- Mayrhofer, Manfred (1976), Kurzgefasstes Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindischen [A Concise Etymological Sanskrit Dictionary][3] (in German), volume III, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 1
- Cheung, Johnny (2007), Etymological Dictionary of the Iranian Verb (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 2), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 213-214