कुङ्कुम

Sanskrit edit

Alternative scripts edit

Etymology edit

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 (kánkamon, bisabol gum).

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

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 edit

Neuter a-stem declension of कुङ्कुम (kuṅkuma)
Singular Dual Plural
Nominative कुङ्कुमम्
kuṅkumam
कुङ्कुमे
kuṅkume
कुङ्कुमानि / कुङ्कुमा¹
kuṅkumāni / kuṅkumā¹
Vocative कुङ्कुम
kuṅkuma
कुङ्कुमे
kuṅkume
कुङ्कुमानि / कुङ्कुमा¹
kuṅkumāni / kuṅkumā¹
Accusative कुङ्कुमम्
kuṅkumam
कुङ्कुमे
kuṅkume
कुङ्कुमानि / कुङ्कुमा¹
kuṅkumāni / kuṅkumā¹
Instrumental कुङ्कुमेन
kuṅkumena
कुङ्कुमाभ्याम्
kuṅkumābhyām
कुङ्कुमैः / कुङ्कुमेभिः¹
kuṅkumaiḥ / 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
Notes
  • ¹Vedic

Descendants edit

Further reading edit

  • Monier Williams (1899) “कुङ्कुम”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, [], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 287, column 3.
  • Hellwig, Oliver (2010-2024) “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] (in German), volume 1, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 219