कर्त

Sanskrit

Alternative forms

गर्त (gárta)

Alternative scripts

কৰ্ত (Assamese script)
ᬓᬃᬢ (Balinese script)
কর্ত (Bengali script)
𑰎𑰨𑰿𑰝 (Bhaiksuki script)
𑀓𑀭𑁆𑀢 (Brahmi script)
ကရ်္တ (Burmese script)
કર્ત (Gujarati script)
ਕਰ੍ਤ (Gurmukhi script)
𑌕𑌰𑍍𑌤 (Grantha script)
ꦏꦂꦠ (Javanese script)
𑂍𑂩𑂹𑂞 (Kaithi script)
ಕರ್ತ (Kannada script)
កត៌ (Khmer script)
ກຣ຺ຕ (Lao script)
കര്ത (Malayalam script)
ᡬᠠᡵᢠᠠ (Manchu script)
𑘎𑘨𑘿𑘝 (Modi script)
ᢉᠠᠷᢐᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
𑦮𑧈𑧠𑦽 (Nandinagari script)
𑐎𑐬𑑂𑐟 (Newa script)
କର୍ତ (Odia script)
ꢒꢬ꣄ꢡ (Saurashtra script)
𑆑𑆫𑇀𑆠 (Sharada script)
𑖎𑖨𑖿𑖝 (Siddham script)
කර්‍ත (Sinhalese script)
𑩜𑩼 𑪙𑩫 (Soyombo script)
𑚊𑚤𑚶𑚙 (Takri script)
கர்த (Tamil script)
కర్త (Telugu script)
กรฺต (Thai script)
ཀ་རྟ (Tibetan script)
𑒏𑒩𑓂𑒞 (Tirhuta script)
𑨋𑨫𑩇𑨙 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Probably from कृत् (kṛt, “to cut in pieces”); compare कृति (kṛti, “the act of hurting; knife, dagger”).

Turner argues, however, that the word is borrowed from Dravidian, due to "extensive interchange" of consonants in vernacular variants, notably in गर्त (gárta). Mayrhofer acknowledges this possibility, but notes that the word's Vedic status decreases the likelihood of a Dravidian provenance.

Pronunciation

(Vedic) IPA^(key): /kɐɾ.tɐ́/
(Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ˈkɐɾ.t̪ɐ/

Noun

कर्त • (kartá) stem, m

a hole, cavity
separation, distinction

Declension

Masculine a-stem declension of कर्त (kartá)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	कर्तः kartáḥ	कर्तौ / कर्ता¹ kartaú / kartā́¹	कर्ताः / कर्तासः¹ kartā́ḥ / kartā́saḥ¹
Vocative	कर्त kárta	कर्तौ / कर्ता¹ kártau / kártā¹	कर्ताः / कर्तासः¹ kártāḥ / kártāsaḥ¹
Accusative	कर्तम् kartám	कर्तौ / कर्ता¹ kartaú / kartā́¹	कर्तान् kartā́n
Instrumental	कर्तेन karténa	कर्ताभ्याम् kartā́bhyām	कर्तैः / कर्तेभिः¹ kartaíḥ / kartébhiḥ¹
Dative	कर्ताय kartā́ya	कर्ताभ्याम् kartā́bhyām	कर्तेभ्यः kartébhyaḥ
Ablative	कर्तात् kartā́t	कर्ताभ्याम् kartā́bhyām	कर्तेभ्यः kartébhyaḥ
Genitive	कर्तस्य kartásya	कर्तयोः kartáyoḥ	कर्तानाम् kartā́nām
Locative	कर्ते karté	कर्तयोः kartáyoḥ	कर्तेषु kartéṣu
Notes	¹Vedic

References

Monier Williams (1899) “कर्त”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 257, column 3.
Apte, Vaman Shivram (1890) “कर्त”, in The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary, Poona: Prasad Prakashan
Mayrhofer, Manfred (1992) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎^[1] (in German), volume 1, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 317
Mayrhofer, Manfred (1956) Kurzgefasstes Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindischen [A Concise Etymological Sanskrit Dictionary]‎^[2] (in German), volume 1, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 173
Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “kartá”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press