शङ्ख

Sanskrit

Alternative forms

Alternative scripts

• শঙ্খ (Assamese script)
• ᬰᬗ᭄ᬔ (Balinese script)
• শঙ্খ (Bengali script)
• 𑰫𑰒𑰿𑰏 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀰𑀗𑁆𑀔 (Brahmi script)
• ၐင်္ခ (Burmese script)
• શઙ્ખ (Gujarati script)
• ਸ਼ਙ੍ਖ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌶𑌙𑍍𑌖 (Grantha script)
• ꦯꦔ꧀ꦑ (Javanese script)
• 𑂬𑂑𑂹𑂎 (Kaithi script)
• ಶಙ್ಖ (Kannada script)
• ឝង្ខ (Khmer script)
• ຨງ຺ຂ (Lao script)
• ശങ്ഖ (Malayalam script)
• ᡧᠠᢛᡘᠠ (Manchu script)
• 𑘫𑘒𑘿𑘏 (Modi script)
• ᠱᠠᢊᠻᠠ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧋𑦲𑧠𑦯 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐱𑐒𑑂𑐏 (Newa script)
• ଶଙ୍ଖ (Odia script)
• ꢯꢖ꣄ꢓ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆯𑆕𑇀𑆒 (Sharada script)
• 𑖫𑖒𑖿𑖏 (Siddham script)
• ශඞ‍්ඛ (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩿𑩠 𑪙𑩝 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚧𑚎𑚶𑚋 (Takri script)
• ஶங்க² (Tamil script)
• శఙ్ఖ (Telugu script)
• ศงฺข (Thai script)
• ཤ་ངྑ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒬𑒓𑓂𑒐 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨮𑨏𑩇𑨌 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Apparently from Proto-Indo-European *ḱóngʰ-os with unexplained devoicing of the velar stop; doubtfully connected to Ancient Greek κόγχος (kónkhos).

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /ɕɐŋ.kʰɐ́/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ˈɕɐŋ.kʰɐ/

Noun

शङ्ख • (śaṅkhá) stem, m or n

1. a shell, (especially) the conch-shell (used for making libations of water or as an ornament for the arms or for the temples of an elephant ; a conch-shell perforated at one end is also used as a wind instrument or horn; in the battles of epic poetry, each hero being represented as provided with a conch-shell which serves as his horn or trumpet and often has a name)
2. a particularly high number (said to equal hundred of billions)

Declension

Masculine a-stem declension of शङ्ख

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	शङ्खः (śaṅkháḥ)	शङ्खौ (śaṅkhaú) शङ्खा¹ (śaṅkhā́¹)	शङ्खाः (śaṅkhā́ḥ) शङ्खासः¹ (śaṅkhā́saḥ¹)
vocative	शङ्ख (śáṅkha)	शङ्खौ (śáṅkhau) शङ्खा¹ (śáṅkhā¹)	शङ्खाः (śáṅkhāḥ) शङ्खासः¹ (śáṅkhāsaḥ¹)
accusative	शङ्खम् (śaṅkhám)	शङ्खौ (śaṅkhaú) शङ्खा¹ (śaṅkhā́¹)	शङ्खान् (śaṅkhā́n)
instrumental	शङ्खेन (śaṅkhéna)	शङ्खाभ्याम् (śaṅkhā́bhyām)	शङ्खैः (śaṅkhaíḥ) शङ्खेभिः¹ (śaṅkhébhiḥ¹)
dative	शङ्खाय (śaṅkhā́ya)	शङ्खाभ्याम् (śaṅkhā́bhyām)	शङ्खेभ्यः (śaṅkhébhyaḥ)
ablative	शङ्खात् (śaṅkhā́t)	शङ्खाभ्याम् (śaṅkhā́bhyām)	शङ्खेभ्यः (śaṅkhébhyaḥ)
genitive	शङ्खस्य (śaṅkhásya)	शङ्खयोः (śaṅkháyoḥ)	शङ्खानाम् (śaṅkhā́nām)
locative	शङ्खे (śaṅkhé)	शङ्खयोः (śaṅkháyoḥ)	शङ्खेषु (śaṅkhéṣu)

• ¹Vedic

Neuter a-stem declension of शङ्ख

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	शङ्खम् (śaṅkhám)	शङ्खे (śaṅkhé)	शङ्खानि (śaṅkhā́ni) शङ्खा¹ (śaṅkhā́¹)
vocative	शङ्ख (śáṅkha)	शङ्खे (śáṅkhe)	शङ्खानि (śáṅkhāni) शङ्खा¹ (śáṅkhā¹)
accusative	शङ्खम् (śaṅkhám)	शङ्खे (śaṅkhé)	शङ्खानि (śaṅkhā́ni) शङ्खा¹ (śaṅkhā́¹)
instrumental	शङ्खेन (śaṅkhéna)	शङ्खाभ्याम् (śaṅkhā́bhyām)	शङ्खैः (śaṅkhaíḥ) शङ्खेभिः¹ (śaṅkhébhiḥ¹)
dative	शङ्खाय (śaṅkhā́ya)	शङ्खाभ्याम् (śaṅkhā́bhyām)	शङ्खेभ्यः (śaṅkhébhyaḥ)
ablative	शङ्खात् (śaṅkhā́t)	शङ्खाभ्याम् (śaṅkhā́bhyām)	शङ्खेभ्यः (śaṅkhébhyaḥ)
genitive	शङ्खस्य (śaṅkhásya)	शङ्खयोः (śaṅkháyoḥ)	शङ्खानाम् (śaṅkhā́nām)
locative	शङ्खे (śaṅkhé)	शङ्खयोः (śaṅkháyoḥ)	शङ्खेषु (śaṅkhéṣu)

• ¹Vedic

Derived terms

• शङ्खक (śaṅkhaka)
• शङ्खपाणि (śaṅkhapāṇi)

Descendants

• Pali: saṅkha
• Prakrit: 𑀲𑀗𑁆𑀔 (saṅkha)
  • Central:
    • Hindustani: saṅkh
      • Hindi: शंख
      • Urdu: سَنکھ
  • Eastern:
    • Assamese: শাঁক (xãk)
    • Bengali: শাঁখ (śãkh)
    • Odia: ସଂଖା (saṅkhā)
  • Northern:
    • Kumaoni: साँख (sā̃kh), साँक (sā̃k)
  • Northwestern:
    • Punjabi: saṉkh ("one hundred quadrillion")

      Gurmukhi script: ਸੰਖ

      Shahmukhi script: سنکھ

    • Punjabi: saṉgh ("conch")

      Gurmukhi script: ਸੰਘ

      Shahmukhi script: سنگھ

    • Sindhi: saṅghī

      Arabic script: سَنگهِي

      Devanagari script: संघी

  • Southern:
    • Dhivehi: ސަންގު (san̊gu)
    • Sinhalese: සක (saka)

Borrowed terms

• → Kannada: ಶಂಖ (śaṅkha)
• → Malayalam: ചങ്ക് (caṅkŭ), ശംഖ് (śaṅkhŭ), ശംഖം (śaṅkhaṁ)
• → Tamil: சங்கு (caṅku)
• → Telugu: శంఖము (śaṅkhamu)

References

• Monier Williams (1899) “शङ्ख”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 1047.
• Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “śaṅkha”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press