यष्टि

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• যষ্টি (Assamese script)
• ᬬᬱ᭄ᬝᬶ (Balinese script)
• যষ্টি (Bengali script)
• 𑰧𑰬𑰿𑰘𑰰 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀬𑀱𑁆𑀝𑀺 (Brahmi script)
• ယၑ္ဋိ (Burmese script)
• યષ્ટિ (Gujarati script)
• ਯਸ਼੍ਟਿ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌯𑌷𑍍𑌟𑌿 (Grantha script)
• ꦪꦰ꧀ꦛꦶ (Javanese script)
• 𑂨𑂭𑂹𑂗𑂱 (Kaithi script)
• ಯಷ್ಟಿ (Kannada script)
• យឞ្ដិ (Khmer script)
• ຍຩ຺ຏິ (Lao script)
• യഷ്ടി (Malayalam script)
• ᠶᠠᢢᢞᡳ (Manchu script)
• 𑘧𑘬𑘿𑘘𑘱 (Modi script)
• ᠶ᠋ᠠᢔᢌᠢ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧇𑧌𑧠𑦸𑧒 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐫𑐲𑑂𑐚𑐶 (Newa script)
• ଯଷ୍ଟି (Odia script)
• ꢫꢰ꣄ꢜꢶ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆪𑆰𑇀𑆛𑆴 (Sharada script)
• 𑖧𑖬𑖿𑖘𑖰 (Siddham script)
• යෂ‍්ටි (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩻𑪀 𑪙𑩦𑩑 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚣𑚶𑚔𑚮 (Takri script)
• யஷ்டி (Tamil script)
• యష్టి (Telugu script)
• ยษฺฏิ (Thai script)
• ཡ་ཥྚི (Tibetan script)
• 𑒨𑒭𑓂𑒙𑒱 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨪𑨯𑩇𑨔𑨁 (Zanabazar Square script)

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /jɐʂ.ʈi/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ˈjɐʂ.ʈi/

Etymology 1

Probably from a misreading of इष्टि (iṣṭi, “impulse, seeking, sacrificing”).

Noun

यष्टि • (yaṣṭi) stem, f

1. sacrificing

Declension

Feminine i-stem declension of यष्टि (yaṣṭi)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	यष्टिः yaṣṭiḥ	यष्टी yaṣṭī	यष्टयः yaṣṭayaḥ
Vocative	यष्टे yaṣṭe	यष्टी yaṣṭī	यष्टयः yaṣṭayaḥ
Accusative	यष्टिम् yaṣṭim	यष्टी yaṣṭī	यष्टीः yaṣṭīḥ
Instrumental	यष्ट्या / यष्टी¹ yaṣṭyā / yaṣṭī¹	यष्टिभ्याम् yaṣṭibhyām	यष्टिभिः yaṣṭibhiḥ
Dative	यष्टये / यष्ट्यै² / यष्टी¹ yaṣṭaye / yaṣṭyai² / yaṣṭī¹	यष्टिभ्याम् yaṣṭibhyām	यष्टिभ्यः yaṣṭibhyaḥ
Ablative	यष्टेः / यष्ट्याः² / यष्ट्यै³ yaṣṭeḥ / yaṣṭyāḥ² / yaṣṭyai³	यष्टिभ्याम् yaṣṭibhyām	यष्टिभ्यः yaṣṭibhyaḥ
Genitive	यष्टेः / यष्ट्याः² / यष्ट्यै³ yaṣṭeḥ / yaṣṭyāḥ² / yaṣṭyai³	यष्ट्योः yaṣṭyoḥ	यष्टीनाम् yaṣṭīnām
Locative	यष्टौ / यष्ट्याम्² / यष्टा¹ yaṣṭau / yaṣṭyām² / yaṣṭā¹	यष्ट्योः yaṣṭyoḥ	यष्टिषु yaṣṭiṣu
Notes	¹Vedic ²Later Sanskrit ³Brāhmaṇas

Etymology 2

Of unknown origin, with multiple unconvincing theories proposed (inc. being a relative of यूका (yūkā, “louse”)); contamination with लकुट (lakuṭa, “club”) is the possible source of Ashokan Prakrit *𑀮𑀱𑁆𑀝𑀺 (*laṣṭi), whence words in modern descendents like Hindi लाठी (lāṭhī), Bengali লাঠি (laṭhi). Compare late Avestan 𐬪𐬀𐬑𐬱𐬙𐬌 (ẏaxšti).

Similar words in modern Iranic, such as Pashto [script needed] (laṧta, “rod”), are probably borrowed from the Prakrit form rather than inherited from a common source.

Noun

यष्टि • (yaṣṭi) stem, f यष्टि • (yaṣṭi) stem, n

1. "any support": a staff, stick, wand, rod, mace, club, cudgel
2. pole, pillar, perch
3. a flagstaff
4. a stalk, stem, branch, twig
5. (at the end of compounds) anything thin or slender
6. the blade of a sword
7. a thread, string (esp. of pearls)
8. a particular kind of pearl necklace
9. licorice
10. sugarcane
11. any creeping plant

Declension

Feminine i-stem declension of यष्टि (yaṣṭi)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	यष्टिः yaṣṭiḥ	यष्टी yaṣṭī	यष्टयः yaṣṭayaḥ
Vocative	यष्टे yaṣṭe	यष्टी yaṣṭī	यष्टयः yaṣṭayaḥ
Accusative	यष्टिम् yaṣṭim	यष्टी yaṣṭī	यष्टीः yaṣṭīḥ
Instrumental	यष्ट्या / यष्टी¹ yaṣṭyā / yaṣṭī¹	यष्टिभ्याम् yaṣṭibhyām	यष्टिभिः yaṣṭibhiḥ
Dative	यष्टये / यष्ट्यै² / यष्टी¹ yaṣṭaye / yaṣṭyai² / yaṣṭī¹	यष्टिभ्याम् yaṣṭibhyām	यष्टिभ्यः yaṣṭibhyaḥ
Ablative	यष्टेः / यष्ट्याः² / यष्ट्यै³ yaṣṭeḥ / yaṣṭyāḥ² / yaṣṭyai³	यष्टिभ्याम् yaṣṭibhyām	यष्टिभ्यः yaṣṭibhyaḥ
Genitive	यष्टेः / यष्ट्याः² / यष्ट्यै³ yaṣṭeḥ / yaṣṭyāḥ² / yaṣṭyai³	यष्ट्योः yaṣṭyoḥ	यष्टीनाम् yaṣṭīnām
Locative	यष्टौ / यष्ट्याम्² / यष्टा¹ yaṣṭau / yaṣṭyām² / yaṣṭā¹	यष्ट्योः yaṣṭyoḥ	यष्टिषु yaṣṭiṣu
Notes	¹Vedic ²Later Sanskrit ³Brāhmaṇas

Neuter i-stem declension of यष्टि (yaṣṭi)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	यष्टि yaṣṭi	यष्टिनी yaṣṭinī	यष्टीनि / यष्टि¹ / यष्टी¹ yaṣṭīni / yaṣṭi¹ / yaṣṭī¹
Vocative	यष्टि / यष्टे yaṣṭi / yaṣṭe	यष्टिनी yaṣṭinī	यष्टीनि / यष्टि¹ / यष्टी¹ yaṣṭīni / yaṣṭi¹ / yaṣṭī¹
Accusative	यष्टि yaṣṭi	यष्टिनी yaṣṭinī	यष्टीनि / यष्टि¹ / यष्टी¹ yaṣṭīni / yaṣṭi¹ / yaṣṭī¹
Instrumental	यष्टिना / यष्ट्या¹ yaṣṭinā / yaṣṭyā¹	यष्टिभ्याम् yaṣṭibhyām	यष्टिभिः yaṣṭibhiḥ
Dative	यष्टिने / यष्टये¹ yaṣṭine / yaṣṭaye¹	यष्टिभ्याम् yaṣṭibhyām	यष्टिभ्यः yaṣṭibhyaḥ
Ablative	यष्टिनः / यष्टेः¹ yaṣṭinaḥ / yaṣṭeḥ¹	यष्टिभ्याम् yaṣṭibhyām	यष्टिभ्यः yaṣṭibhyaḥ
Genitive	यष्टिनः / यष्टेः¹ yaṣṭinaḥ / yaṣṭeḥ¹	यष्टिनोः yaṣṭinoḥ	यष्टीनाम् yaṣṭīnām
Locative	यष्टिनि / यष्टौ¹ / यष्टा¹ yaṣṭini / yaṣṭau¹ / yaṣṭā¹	यष्टिनोः yaṣṭinoḥ	यष्टिषु yaṣṭiṣu
Notes	¹Vedic

Descendants

• Pali: yaṭṭhi

References

• Monier Williams (1899) “यष्टि”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, pages 840/3, 848/3.
• Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎^[2] (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 406
• Mayrhofer, Manfred (1976) Kurzgefasstes Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindischen [A Concise Etymological Sanskrit Dictionary] (in German), volume 3, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, pages 12-3

Further reading

• Hellwig, Oliver (2010-2024) “yaṣṭi”, in DCS - The Digital Corpus of Sanskrit, Berlin, Germany.