चिञ्चा

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• চিঞ্চা (Assamese script)
• ᬘᬶᬜ᭄ᬘᬵ (Balinese script)
• চিঞ্চা (Bengali script)
• 𑰓𑰰𑰗𑰿𑰓𑰯 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀘𑀺𑀜𑁆𑀘𑀸 (Brahmi script)
• စိဉ္စာ (Burmese script)
• ચિઞ્ચા (Gujarati script)
• ਚਿਞ੍ਚਾ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌚𑌿𑌞𑍍𑌚𑌾 (Grantha script)
• ꦕꦶꦚ꧀ꦕꦴ (Javanese script)
• 𑂒𑂱𑂖𑂹𑂒𑂰 (Kaithi script)
• ಚಿಞ್ಚಾ (Kannada script)
• ចិញ្ចា (Khmer script)
• ຈິຎ຺ຈາ (Lao script)
• ചിഞ്ചാ (Malayalam script)
• ᢜᡳᠨᡳᠶᢜᠠᢇ (Manchu script)
• 𑘓𑘱𑘗𑘿𑘓𑘰 (Modi script)
• ᢋᠢᡛᢋᠠ᠋᠎ᠠ (Mongolian script)
• 𑦳𑧒𑦷𑧠𑦳𑧑 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐔𑐶𑐘𑑂𑐔𑐵 (Newa script)
• ଚିଞ୍ଚା (Odia script)
• ꢗꢶꢛ꣄ꢗꢵ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆖𑆴𑆚𑇀𑆖𑆳 (Sharada script)
• 𑖓𑖰𑖗𑖿𑖓𑖯 (Siddham script)
• චිඤ්‍චා (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩡𑩑𑩥 𑪙𑩡𑩛 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚏𑚮𑚓𑚶𑚏𑚭 (Takri script)
• சிஞ்சா (Tamil script)
• చిఞ్చా (Telugu script)
• จิญฺจา (Thai script)
• ཙི་ཉྩཱ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒔𑒱𑒘𑓂𑒔𑒰 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨣𑨁𑨓𑩇𑨣𑨊 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Borrowed from Dravidian, ultimately from Proto-Dravidian *cintta. Compare चुञ्चुरी ~ चुञ्चुली (cuñcurī ~ cuñculī, “game played with tamarind seeds”), तिन्तिडी (tintiḍī, “tamarind”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ɕiɲ.t͡ɕɑː/

Noun

चिञ्चा • (ciñcā) stem, f (Classical Sanskrit)

1. tamarind (tree and fruit)
   • c. 1500, Bhāva Miśra, Bhāva Prakāśa 7.3.84.1:

     अश्वत्थचिञ्चात्वक्चूर्णं चतुर्थांशेन निक्षिपेत् ।

     aśvatthaciñcātvakcūrṇaṃ caturthāṃśena nikṣipet.

     Put down the sacred fig, tamarind, cinnamon, pounded sandal by a quarter.

   • c. 1400 – 1600, Rājanighaṇṭu 11.162.1:

     चिञ्चा तु चुक्रिका चुक्रा साम्लिका शाकचुक्रिका ।

     ciñcā tu cukrikā cukrā sāmlikā śākacukrikā.

     The tamarind is [also known as] cukrikā, cukrā, sāmlikā, śākacukrikā.

Declension

Feminine ā-stem declension of चिञ्चा (ciñcā)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	चिञ्चा ciñcā	चिञ्चे ciñce	चिञ्चाः ciñcāḥ
Vocative	चिञ्चे ciñce	चिञ्चे ciñce	चिञ्चाः ciñcāḥ
Accusative	चिञ्चाम् ciñcām	चिञ्चे ciñce	चिञ्चाः ciñcāḥ
Instrumental	चिञ्चया ciñcayā	चिञ्चाभ्याम् ciñcābhyām	चिञ्चाभिः ciñcābhiḥ
Dative	चिञ्चायै ciñcāyai	चिञ्चाभ्याम् ciñcābhyām	चिञ्चाभ्यः ciñcābhyaḥ
Ablative	चिञ्चायाः ciñcāyāḥ	चिञ्चाभ्याम् ciñcābhyām	चिञ्चाभ्यः ciñcābhyaḥ
Genitive	चिञ्चायाः ciñcāyāḥ	चिञ्चयोः ciñcayoḥ	चिञ्चानाम् ciñcānām
Locative	चिञ्चायाम् ciñcāyām	चिञ्चयोः ciñcayoḥ	चिञ्चासु ciñcāsu

Descendants

• Pali: ciñcā
• Prakrit: 𑀘𑀺𑀁𑀘𑀸 (ciṃcā)
  • Marathi: चिंच (ciñca)
• → Hindi: चिंचा (ciñcā) (learned)

Further reading

• Monier Williams (1899) “चिञ्चा”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 395, column 1.
• Hellwig, Oliver (2010-2024) “ciñcā”, in DCS - The Digital Corpus of Sanskrit, Berlin, Germany.
• Apte, Vaman Shivram (1890) “चिञ्चा”, in The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary, Poona: Prasad Prakashan, page 707
• Arthur Anthony Macdonell (1893) “चिञ्चा”, in A practical Sanskrit dictionary with transliteration, accentuation, and etymological analysis throughout, London: Oxford University Press, page 94