Sanskrit

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Alternative scripts

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Etymology

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A Kulturwort with ultimate place of origin uncertain, perhaps from the ancient city of Corycus in Anatolia, related to Ancient Greek κρόκος (krókos, crocus, saffron), Arabic كُرْكُم (kurkum, turmeric, curcumin), Akkadian 𒌑𒆪𒄀𒆸𒈾 (/⁠kurkanū⁠/), Hebrew כרכום (karkóm, crocus). The expected form based on the non-Sanskrit cognates, *कुर्कुम (kurkuma), has phonetically morphed into the current form. Perhaps related as well to Ancient Greek κᾰ́γκᾰμον (kắnkămon, bisabol gum).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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कुङ्कुम (kuṅkuma) stemn

  1. saffron
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:केसर
  2. kumkum
    • c. 700 CE – 900 CE, Bhāgavata Purāṇa 10.11.33:
      गोप्यो रूढरथा नूत्नकुचकुङ्कुमकान्तयः। कृष्णलीला जगुः प्रीत्या निष्ककण्ठ्यः सुवाससः॥
      gopyo rūḍharathā nūtnakucakuṅkumakāntayaḥ. kṛṣṇalīlā jaguḥ prītyā niṣkakaṇṭhyaḥ suvāsasaḥ.
      The cowherd women, riding on the bullock carts, were dressed very nicely with excellent garments, and their bodies, especially their breasts, were decorated with fresh kuṅkuma powder. As they rode, they began to chant with great pleasure the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa.
    • c. 700 CE – 900 CE, Bhāgavata Purāṇa 10.5.10:
      नवकुङ्कुमकिञ्जल्कमुखपङ्कजभूतयः। बलिभिस्त्वरितं जग्मुः पृथुश्रोण्यश्चलत्कुचाः॥
      navakuṅkumakiñjalkamukhapaṅkajabhūtayaḥ. balibhistvaritaṃ jagmuḥ pṛthuśroṇyaścalatkucāḥ.
      Their lotuslike faces extraordinarily beautiful, being decorated with saffron and newly grown kuṅkuma, the wives of the cowherd men hurried to the house of mother Yaśodā with presentations in their hands. Because of natural beauty, the wives had full hips and full breasts, which moved as they hurried along.

Declension

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Neuter a-stem declension of कुङ्कुम
singular dual plural
nominative कुङ्कुमम् (kuṅkumam) कुङ्कुमे (kuṅkume) कुङ्कुमानि (kuṅkumāni)
कुङ्कुमा¹ (kuṅkumā¹)
vocative कुङ्कुम (kuṅkuma) कुङ्कुमे (kuṅkume) कुङ्कुमानि (kuṅkumāni)
कुङ्कुमा¹ (kuṅkumā¹)
accusative कुङ्कुमम् (kuṅkumam) कुङ्कुमे (kuṅkume) कुङ्कुमानि (kuṅkumāni)
कुङ्कुमा¹ (kuṅkumā¹)
instrumental कुङ्कुमेन (kuṅkumena) कुङ्कुमाभ्याम् (kuṅkumābhyām) कुङ्कुमैः (kuṅkumaiḥ)
कुङ्कुमेभिः¹ (kuṅkumebhiḥ¹)
dative कुङ्कुमाय (kuṅkumāya) कुङ्कुमाभ्याम् (kuṅkumābhyām) कुङ्कुमेभ्यः (kuṅkumebhyaḥ)
ablative कुङ्कुमात् (kuṅkumāt) कुङ्कुमाभ्याम् (kuṅkumābhyām) कुङ्कुमेभ्यः (kuṅkumebhyaḥ)
genitive कुङ्कुमस्य (kuṅkumasya) कुङ्कुमयोः (kuṅkumayoḥ) कुङ्कुमानाम् (kuṅkumānām)
locative कुङ्कुमे (kuṅkume) कुङ्कुमयोः (kuṅkumayoḥ) कुङ्कुमेषु (kuṅkumeṣu)
  • ¹Vedic

Descendants

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Further reading

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  • Monier Williams (1899) “कुङ्कुम”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, [], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 287, column 3.
  • Hellwig, Oliver (2010–2025) “kuṅkuma”, in DCS - The Digital Corpus of Sanskrit, Berlin, Germany.
  • Mayrhofer, Manfred (2001) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎[1] (in German), volume 3, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 95
  • Mayrhofer, Manfred (1956) Kurzgefasstes Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindischen [A Concise Etymological Sanskrit Dictionary]‎[2] (in German), volume 1, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 219