मेध

See also: मधु and मृध

Pali

Alternative forms

Alternative scripts

medha (Latin script)
𑀫𑁂𑀥 (Brahmi script)
মেধ (Bengali script)
මෙධ (Sinhalese script)
မေဓ or မေꩪ (Burmese script)
เมธ or เมธะ (Thai script)
ᨾᩮᨵ (Tai Tham script)
ເມຘ or ເມຘະ (Lao script)
មេធ (Khmer script)
𑄟𑄬𑄙 (Chakma script)

Noun

मेध m

Devanagari script form of medha

Declension

Declension table of "मेध" (masculine)

Case \ Number	Singular	Plural
Nominative (first)	मेधो (medho)	मेधा (medhā)
Accusative (second)	मेधं (medhaṃ)	मेधे (medhe)
Instrumental (third)	मेधेन (medhena)	मेधेहि (medhehi) or मेधेभि (medhebhi)
Dative (fourth)	मेधस्स (medhassa) or मेधाय (medhāya) or मेधत्थं (medhatthaṃ)	मेधानं (medhānaṃ)
Ablative (fifth)	मेधस्मा (medhasmā) or मेधम्हा (medhamhā) or मेधा (medhā)	मेधेहि (medhehi) or मेधेभि (medhebhi)
Genitive (sixth)	मेधस्स (medhassa)	मेधानं (medhānaṃ)
Locative (seventh)	मेधस्मिं (medhasmiṃ) or मेधम्हि (medhamhi) or मेधे (medhe)	मेधेसु (medhesu)
Vocative (calling)	मेध (medha)	मेधा (medhā)

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

মেধ (Assamese script)
ᬫᬾᬥ (Balinese script)
মেধ (Bengali script)
𑰦𑰸𑰠 (Bhaiksuki script)
𑀫𑁂𑀥 (Brahmi script)
မေဓ (Burmese script)
મેધ (Gujarati script)
ਮੇਧ (Gurmukhi script)
𑌮𑍇𑌧 (Grantha script)
ꦩꦺꦣ (Javanese script)
𑂧𑂵𑂡 (Kaithi script)
ಮೇಧ (Kannada script)
មេធ (Khmer script)
ເມຘ (Lao script)
മേധ (Malayalam script)
ᠮᡝᢡᠠ (Manchu script)
𑘦𑘹𑘠 (Modi script)
ᠮᠧᢑᠾᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
𑧆𑧚𑧀 (Nandinagari script)
𑐩𑐾𑐢 (Newa script)
ମେଧ (Odia script)
ꢪꢾꢤ (Saurashtra script)
𑆩𑆼𑆣 (Sharada script)
𑖦𑖸𑖠 (Siddham script)
මෙධ (Sinhalese script)
𑩴𑩔𑩮 (Soyombo script)
𑚢𑚲𑚜 (Takri script)
மேத⁴ (Tamil script)
మేధ (Telugu script)
เมธ (Thai script)
མེ་དྷ (Tibetan script)
𑒧𑒹𑒡 (Tirhuta script)
𑨢𑨄𑨜 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Of uncertain origin. Likely related to मियेध (miyedha, “sacrificial oblation”). Connections to मेधा (medhā, “wisdom; mental ability”) have also been proposed. A relation has also been proposed to Gaulish *meduos, attested in Epomeduos, which is directly comparable with अश्वमेध (aśvamedha).

Pronunciation

(Vedic) IPA^(key): /mɐj.dʱɐ/
(Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ˈmeː.d̪ʱɐ/

Noun

मेध • (médha) stem, m

juice of meat, broth, nourishing or strengthening drink
marrow, sap, pith, essence
a sacrificial animal, victim
an animal sacrifice, offering, oblation, any sacrifice (esp. at the end of a compound)

Declension

Masculine a-stem declension of मेध (médha)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	मेधः médhaḥ	मेधौ / मेधा¹ médhau / médhā¹	मेधाः / मेधासः¹ médhāḥ / médhāsaḥ¹
Vocative	मेध médha	मेधौ / मेधा¹ médhau / médhā¹	मेधाः / मेधासः¹ médhāḥ / médhāsaḥ¹
Accusative	मेधम् médham	मेधौ / मेधा¹ médhau / médhā¹	मेधान् médhān
Instrumental	मेधेन médhena	मेधाभ्याम् médhābhyām	मेधैः / मेधेभिः¹ médhaiḥ / médhebhiḥ¹
Dative	मेधाय médhāya	मेधाभ्याम् médhābhyām	मेधेभ्यः médhebhyaḥ
Ablative	मेधात् médhāt	मेधाभ्याम् médhābhyām	मेधेभ्यः médhebhyaḥ
Genitive	मेधस्य médhasya	मेधयोः médhayoḥ	मेधानाम् médhānām
Locative	मेधे médhe	मेधयोः médhayoḥ	मेधेषु médheṣu
Notes	¹Vedic

Derived terms

अश्वमेध (aśvamedhá)
पितृमेध (pitṛmedha)

Descendants

Pali: medha
→ Tamil: மேதம் (mētam)

References

Monier Williams (1899) “मेध”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 832/3.
Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎^[1] (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, pages 377-378
Mayrhofer, Manfred (1963) Kurzgefasstes Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindischen [A Concise Etymological Sanskrit Dictionary] (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 685
Jackson, Peter (2002) “Light from Distant Asterisks. Towards a Description of the Indo-European Religious Heritage”, in Numen, volume 49, number 1, →DOI, →JSTOR, page 94