Sanskrit

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Alternative scripts

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Etymology

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    From Proto-Indo-Iranian *kšiHrám (milk). Cognate with Avestan 𐬑𐬱𐬎𐬎𐬌𐬛- (xšuuid-), Northern Kurdish şîr, Persian شیر (šir), Zazaki şıd, şıt. Originally thought to be from Proto-Indo-European *swēyd- (milk), but Lubotsky claims a borrowing from the BMAC substrate.

    Pronunciation

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    Noun

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    क्षीर (kṣīrá) stemn

    1. milk, thickened milk
      Synonyms: दुग्ध (dugdhá), पयस् (payas)
      • c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda 9.67.32:
        पावमानीर्यो अध्येत्यृषिभिः सम्भृतं रसम् ।
        तस्मै सरस्वती दुहे क्षीरं सर्पिर्मधूदकम् ॥
        pāvamānīryo adhyetyṛṣibhiḥ sambhṛtaṃ rasam.
        tasmai sarasvatī duhe kṣīraṃ sarpirmadhūdakam.
        Whoever reads the essence stored by saints, the Pavamani hymns,
        Sarasvatī draws forth for him water and butter, milk and meath.
      • c. 1200 BCE – 1000 BCE, Atharvaveda
    2. the milky juice or sap of plants

    Declension

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    Neuter a-stem declension of क्षीर (kṣīrá)
    Singular Dual Plural
    Nominative क्षीरम्
    kṣīrám
    क्षीरे
    kṣīré
    क्षीराणि / क्षीरा¹
    kṣīrā́ṇi / kṣīrā́¹
    Vocative क्षीर
    kṣī́ra
    क्षीरे
    kṣī́re
    क्षीराणि / क्षीरा¹
    kṣī́rāṇi / kṣī́rā¹
    Accusative क्षीरम्
    kṣīrám
    क्षीरे
    kṣīré
    क्षीराणि / क्षीरा¹
    kṣīrā́ṇi / kṣīrā́¹
    Instrumental क्षीरेण
    kṣīréṇa
    क्षीराभ्याम्
    kṣīrā́bhyām
    क्षीरैः / क्षीरेभिः¹
    kṣīraíḥ / kṣīrébhiḥ¹
    Dative क्षीराय
    kṣīrā́ya
    क्षीराभ्याम्
    kṣīrā́bhyām
    क्षीरेभ्यः
    kṣīrébhyaḥ
    Ablative क्षीरात्
    kṣīrā́t
    क्षीराभ्याम्
    kṣīrā́bhyām
    क्षीरेभ्यः
    kṣīrébhyaḥ
    Genitive क्षीरस्य
    kṣīrásya
    क्षीरयोः
    kṣīráyoḥ
    क्षीराणाम्
    kṣīrā́ṇām
    Locative क्षीरे
    kṣīré
    क्षीरयोः
    kṣīráyoḥ
    क्षीरेषु
    kṣīréṣu
    Notes
    • ¹Vedic

    Derived terms

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    Descendants

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    References

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    • Monier Williams (1899) “क्षीर”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, [], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 329/3.
    • Mayrhofer, Manfred (1992) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎[1] (in German), volume 1, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 433