यन्त्र

Sanskrit

From Proto-Indo-European *yem-tró-m (“instrument of restraining”), from *yem- (“to hold, to restrain”). See also the root यम् (yam).^[1]

य॒न्त्र • (yantrá) stem, n

any instrument for holding or restraining or fastening, a prop, support, barrier; a fetter, band, tie, thong, rein
- c. 1500 BCE – 1000 BCE, Ṛgveda 10.149.1:
  सविता यन्त्रैः पृथिवीमरम्णादस्कम्भने सविता द्यामदृंहत् ।
  savitā yantraiḥ pṛthivīmaramṇādaskambhane savitā dyāmadṛṃhat.
  Savitar fixed the earth with fetters to bind it, and made heaven stedfast where no prop supported.
a surgical instrument (especially a blunt one, such as tweezers)
any instrument or apparatus, mechanical contrivance, engine, machine, implement, appliance (as a bolt or lock on a door, oars or sails in a boat. etc.)
restraint, force
an amulet, mystical diagram supposed to possess occult powers
(modern) a machine

Neuter a-stem declension of य॒न्त्र
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	य॒न्त्रम् (yantrám)	य॒न्त्रे (yantré)	य॒न्त्राणि॑ (yantrā́ṇi) य॒न्त्रा¹ (yantrā́¹)
accusative	य॒न्त्रम् (yantrám)	य॒न्त्रे (yantré)	य॒न्त्राणि॑ (yantrā́ṇi) य॒न्त्रा¹ (yantrā́¹)
instrumental	य॒न्त्रेण॑ (yantréṇa)	य॒न्त्राभ्या॑म् (yantrā́bhyām)	य॒न्त्रैः (yantráiḥ) य॒न्त्रेभिः॑¹ (yantrébhiḥ¹)
dative	य॒न्त्राय॑ (yantrā́ya)	य॒न्त्राभ्या॑म् (yantrā́bhyām)	य॒न्त्रेभ्यः॑ (yantrébhyaḥ)
ablative	य॒न्त्रात् (yantrā́t)	य॒न्त्राभ्या॑म् (yantrā́bhyām)	य॒न्त्रेभ्यः॑ (yantrébhyaḥ)
genitive	य॒न्त्रस्य॑ (yantrásya)	य॒न्त्रयोः॑ (yantráyoḥ)	य॒न्त्राणा॑म् (yantrā́ṇām)
locative	य॒न्त्रे (yantré)	य॒न्त्रयोः॑ (yantráyoḥ)	य॒न्त्रेषु॑ (yantréṣu)
vocative	यन्त्र॑ (yántra)	यन्त्रे॑ (yántre)	यन्त्रा॑णि (yántrāṇi) यन्त्रा॑¹ (yántrā¹)

Ashokan Prakrit:
- Dardic:
  - Chitrali:
    - Kashmiri: यन्द्र् (yandr)
  - Eastern Dardic:
    - Kalasha: žontr
    - Palula: yáandr
    - Torwali: ژان (žān)
- Prakrit: 𑀚𑀁𑀢 (jaṃta)
  - Avahattha:
    - Bengali: যাতা (jata)
    - Bihari:
      - Bhojpuri: 𑂔𑂰𑂀𑂞𑂰 (jā̃tā)
      - Magahi: 𑂔𑂰𑂀𑂞𑂰 (jā̃tā)
    - Odia: ଜନ୍ତା (jantā)
    - Early Assamese: জান্ত (janto), জান্ত্ (jant), জান্তি (janti)
      - Assamese: যাঁত (zãt), যাঁতি (zãti)
  - Gurjara Apabhramsa:
    - Romani: ǰándir, ǰándri
  - Kasmiri Apabhramsa:
    - Nepali: जाँतो (jā̃to)
  - Sauraseni Apabhramsa:
    - Hindustani:
      Hindi: जाँत (jā̃t)
      Urdu: جان٘ت (jā̃t)
  - Vracada Apabhramsa:
    - Sindhi:
      Devanagari script: जंडु (jaṇḍu)
      Arabic script: جَنڊُ (jaṇḍu)
Pali: yanta
- → Khmer: យន្ត (yŭən), យ័ន្ត (yŭən), យន្ត្រ (yŭən)
- → Thai: ยนต์ (yon)

Borrowings

→ Assamese: যঁতৰ (zõtor), যন্ত্ৰ (zontro)
→ Baluchi: [script needed] (ǰandar, ǰantar, ǰanthir, ǰāthar, ǰathir)
→ Bengali: যন্তর (jontor), যন্ত্র (jontro)
→ Burmese: ယန္တရား (yanta.ra:)
→ Classical Persian: جندره (jandara)
- → Ottoman Turkish: جندره (cendere)
  - Turkish: cendere
  - → Egyptian Arabic: جَنْدَرَة (gandara, “mangle, calender and any rotary press”)
  - → Armenian: ճէնտէրէ (čēntērē)
→ English: yantra
→ Hindi: यंत्र (yantra), यन्त्र (yantra)
→ Kannada: ಯಂತ್ರ (yantra)
→ Malay: jentera
- Indonesian: jentera
→ Malayalam: യന്ത്രം (yantraṁ)
→ Marathi: यंत्र (yantra)
→ Nepali: यंत्र (yantra)
→ Odia: ଯନ୍ତ୍ର (jantra)
→ Pashto: يندره (yandrá)
→ Punjabi: (semi-learned)
Gurmukhi script: ਜੰਦਰਾ (jandrā)

Shahmukhi script: جَندرا (jandrā)
→ Saraiki: (semi-learned)
Devanagari script: जंदरा (jandrā)

Shahmukhi script: جَندرا (jandrā)
→ Tamil: இயந்திரம் (iyantiram)
→ Telugu: యంత్రము (yantramu)
→ Tocharian B: yāntärne

^ Mayrhofer, Manfred (1976), “yantrám”, in Kurzgefasstes Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindischen [A Concise Etymological Sanskrit Dictionary]‎^[1] (in German), volume III, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 7