काष्ठ

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

কাষ্ঠ (Assamese script)
ᬓᬵᬱ᭄ᬞ (Balinese script)
কাষ্ঠ (Bengali script)
𑰎𑰯𑰬𑰿𑰙 (Bhaiksuki script)
𑀓𑀸𑀱𑁆𑀞 (Brahmi script)
ကာၑ္ဌ (Burmese script)
કાષ્ઠ (Gujarati script)
ਕਾਸ਼੍ਠ (Gurmukhi script)
𑌕𑌾𑌷𑍍𑌠 (Grantha script)
ꦏꦴꦰ꧀ꦜ (Javanese script)
𑂍𑂰𑂭𑂹𑂘 (Kaithi script)
ಕಾಷ್ಠ (Kannada script)
កាឞ្ឋ (Khmer script)
ກາຩ຺ຐ (Lao script)
കാഷ്ഠ (Malayalam script)
ᡬᠠ᠎᠊ᠠᢢᡱᠠ (Manchu script)
𑘎𑘰𑘬𑘿𑘙 (Modi script)
ᢉᠠᢗᢔᢍᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
𑦮𑧑𑧌𑧠𑦹 (Nandinagari script)
𑐎𑐵𑐲𑑂𑐛 (Newa script)
କାଷ୍ଠ (Odia script)
ꢒꢵꢰ꣄ꢝ (Saurashtra script)
𑆑𑆳𑆰𑇀𑆜 (Sharada script)
𑖎𑖯𑖬𑖿𑖙 (Siddham script)
කාෂ‍්ඨ (Sinhalese script)
𑩜𑩛𑪀 𑪙𑩧 (Soyombo script)
𑚊𑚭𑚶𑚕 (Takri script)
காஷ்ட² (Tamil script)
కాష్ఠ (Telugu script)
กาษฺฐ (Thai script)
ཀཱ་ཥྛ (Tibetan script)
𑒏𑒰𑒭𑓂𑒚 (Tirhuta script)
𑨋𑨊𑨯𑩇𑨕 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Of uncertain origin.

Hiersche derives the word from an unattested *कर्ष्ट (karṣṭa) / *कृष्ट (kṛṣṭa), with the sequence of sound changes being *कर्ष्ट (karṣṭa) > *कट्ठ (kaṭṭha) > *काठ (kāṭha) > (via hyper-Sanskritism) काष्ठ (kāṣṭha). He further derives this from Proto-Indo-Iranian *kr̥štás, from Proto-Indo-European *kr̥stós (“(something) cut off”), from the root *(s)kers-, an enlargement of *(s)ker- (“to cut off”).

Less likely, cognate with Ancient Greek κάστον (káston, “wood”). Compare also Ashkun kaṭë (“beam”), Kamkata-viri kaṭë (“beam”), Prasuni këṭë (“beam”), Waigali kāṭa (“beam”).

Noun

काष्ठ • (kāṣṭha) stem, n

wood, timber

Declension

Neuter a-stem declension of काष्ठ (kāṣṭha)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	काष्ठम् kāṣṭham	काष्ठे kāṣṭhe	काष्ठानि / काष्ठा¹ kāṣṭhāni / kāṣṭhā¹
Vocative	काष्ठ kāṣṭha	काष्ठे kāṣṭhe	काष्ठानि / काष्ठा¹ kāṣṭhāni / kāṣṭhā¹
Accusative	काष्ठम् kāṣṭham	काष्ठे kāṣṭhe	काष्ठानि / काष्ठा¹ kāṣṭhāni / kāṣṭhā¹
Instrumental	काष्ठेन kāṣṭhena	काष्ठाभ्याम् kāṣṭhābhyām	काष्ठैः / काष्ठेभिः¹ kāṣṭhaiḥ / kāṣṭhebhiḥ¹
Dative	काष्ठाय kāṣṭhāya	काष्ठाभ्याम् kāṣṭhābhyām	काष्ठेभ्यः kāṣṭhebhyaḥ
Ablative	काष्ठात् kāṣṭhāt	काष्ठाभ्याम् kāṣṭhābhyām	काष्ठेभ्यः kāṣṭhebhyaḥ
Genitive	काष्ठस्य kāṣṭhasya	काष्ठयोः kāṣṭhayoḥ	काष्ठानाम् kāṣṭhānām
Locative	काष्ठे kāṣṭhe	काष्ठयोः kāṣṭhayoḥ	काष्ठेषु kāṣṭheṣu
Notes	¹Vedic

Descendants

Pali: kattha
Prakrit: 𑀓𑀝𑁆𑀞 (kaṭṭha)
- Ardhamagadhi Prakrit: 𑀓𑀝𑁆𑀞 (kaṭṭha)
  - → Tamil: கட்டை (kaṭṭai)
  - → Telugu: కట్టె (kaṭṭe), కట్టియ (kaṭṭiya)
- Magadhi Prakrit: 𑀓𑀝𑁆𑀞 (kaṭṭha)
  - Assamese: কাঠ (kath)
  - Bengali: কাঠ (kaṭh)
- Sauraseni Prakrit: 𑀓𑀝𑁆𑀞 (kaṭṭha)
  - Hindi: कठ (kaṭh)
  - Nepali: काठ (kāṭh)
  - Punjabi: ਕਾਠ (kāṭh)
  - Romani: kaśt
- Maharastri Prakrit: 𑀓𑀝𑁆𑀞 (kaṭṭha)
  - Old Marathi: काडा (kāḍā)
    - Marathi: काढ (kāḍh)
Telugu: కాష్ఠము (kāṣṭhamu)
Malayalam: കാഷ്ഠം (kāṣṭhaṁ)

References

Monier Williams (1899) “काष्ठ”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 281/1.
Mayrhofer, Manfred (1992) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎^[1] (in German), volume 1, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, pages 345-6
Mayrhofer, Manfred (1956) Kurzgefasstes Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindischen [A Concise Etymological Sanskrit Dictionary]‎^[2] (in German), volume 1, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 205