Reconstruction:Prakrit/𑀤𑀸𑀤𑁆𑀤

Onomatopoeic nursery reduplication. Compare Prakrit 𑀢𑀸𑀅 m (tāa), *𑀤𑀺𑀤𑁆𑀤𑀸 f (*diddā, “sister”), Sanskrit तात (tātá), Proto-Dravidian *tātta. Cognate with Domaaki [script needed] (dádi), Palula dōdo, Kalasha dā́da.

*𑀤𑀸𑀤𑁆𑀤 (*dādda) (Devanagari *दाद्द) (Proto-New Indo-Aryan)

1. father or other elderly relative

• Central Indo-Aryan:
  • Hindustani:
    • Hindi: दादा m (dādā, “grandfather”), दादी f (dādī, “grandmother”)
    • Urdu: دادا m (dādā), دادی f (dādī)
• Eastern Indo-Aryan:
  • Assamese: দাদা (dada)
  • Bengali: দাদা (dada), দাদি (dadi)
  • Odia: ଦଦା (dadā), ଦାଦା (dādā), ଦାଦି (dādi)
• Northern Indo-Aryan:
  • Kumaoni: ददा, दादा, दादी, दा
  • Nepali: दादा (dādā)
  • ⇒? Nepali: दाजु (dāju), दाज्यु (dājyu), दाइ (dāi)
• Northwestern Indo-Aryan:
  • Punjabi:

    Gurmukhi script: ਦਾਦਾ m (dādā), ਦਾਦੀ f (dādī), ਡਾਦਾ m (ḍādā), ਡਾਦੀ f (ḍādī)

    Shahmukhi script: دادا m (dādā), دادی f (dādī), ڈادا m (ḍādā), ڈادی f (ḍādī)

• Southern Indo-Aryan:
  • Marathi: दादा m (dādā, “elder brother”), दादी f (dādī, “older woman”)
• Western Indo-Aryan:
  • Gujarati: દાદો m (dādo), દાદી f (dādī)
  • Romani: dād (“father”)

• Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985), “dadda”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press, page 359