𑀕𑀸𑀫

Ashokan Prakrit

Etymology

Inherited from Sanskrit ग्राम (grā́ma).

Noun

𑀕𑀸𑀫 (gāma) m

1. village
   • c. 252 BCE, Aśoka, Rummindeī Minor Pillar Edict line 4:

     𑀮𑀼𑀁𑀫𑀺𑀦𑀺 𑀕𑀸𑀫𑁂 𑀉𑀩𑀮𑀺𑀓𑁂 𑀓𑀝𑁂 𑀅𑀞𑀪𑀸𑀕𑀺𑀬𑁂 𑀘

     luṃmini gāme ubalike kaṭe aṭhabhāgiye ca

     [Ashoka] made the village of Lumbini free of taxes, and paying [only] an eighth share [of the produce].

Alternative forms

Attested at Delhi-Topra and Lumbini.

Dialectal forms of 𑀕𑀸𑀫 (“village”)
Variety	Location	Forms edit
Central	Delhi-Topra	𑀕𑀸𑀫 (gāma)
	Lumbini	𑀕𑀸𑀫 (gāma)

Map of dialectal forms of 𑀕𑀸𑀫 (“village”)
𑀕𑀸𑀫 (gāma) (2)

Descendants

• Prakrit: 𑀕𑀸𑀫 (gāma) (see there for further descendants)

Prakrit

Etymology

Inherited from Ashokan Prakrit 𑀕𑀸𑀫 (gāma).

Noun

𑀕𑀸𑀫 (gāma) m (Devanagari गाम, Kannada ಗಾಮ) (Maharastri, Jain Maharastri, Ardhamagadhi)

1. village
   • c. 200 CE – 600 CE, Hāla, Gāhā Sattasaī 714:

     𑀚𑀁 𑀅𑀲𑀭𑀡𑁄-𑀯𑁆𑀯 𑀟𑀟𑁆𑀠𑁄 𑀕𑀸𑀫𑁄 𑀲𑀸𑀳𑀻𑀡-𑀯𑀳𑀼𑀚𑀼𑀆𑀡𑁄-𑀯𑀺
     𑀲𑀁𑀪𑀫𑀯𑀺𑀲𑀁𑀞𑀼𑀮𑀸𑀡𑀁 𑀢𑀁 𑀤𑀼𑀘𑁆𑀘𑀭𑀺𑀅𑀁 𑀢𑀼𑀳 𑀣𑀡𑀸𑀡𑀁

     jaṃ asaraṇo-vva ḍaḍḍho gāmo sāhīṇa-vahujuāṇo-vi
     saṃbhamavisaṃṭhulāṇaṃ taṃ duccariaṃ tuha thaṇāṇaṃ

     • 2009 translation by Peter Khoroche and Herman Tieken

       That our village burnt down as though there were no help for it,
       Despite the number of young men at hand, is the doing of your wicked breasts, which in the confusion were swaying about.

Declension

Maharastri declension of 𑀕𑀸𑀫 (masculine)
	singular	plural
Nominative	𑀕𑀸𑀫𑁄 (gāmo)	𑀕𑀸𑀫𑀸 (gāmā)
Accusative	𑀕𑀸𑀫𑀁 (gāmaṃ)	𑀕𑀸𑀫𑁂 (gāme) or 𑀕𑀸𑀫𑀸 (gāmā)
Instrumental	𑀕𑀸𑀫𑁂𑀡 (gāmeṇa) or 𑀕𑀸𑀫𑁂𑀡𑀁 (gāmeṇaṃ)	𑀕𑀸𑀫𑁂𑀳𑀺 (gāmehi) or 𑀕𑀸𑀫𑁂𑀳𑀺𑀁 (gāmehiṃ)
Dative	𑀕𑀸𑀫𑀸𑀅 (gāmāa)	—
Ablative	𑀕𑀸𑀫𑀸𑀑 (gāmāo) or 𑀕𑀸𑀫𑀸𑀉 (gāmāu) or 𑀕𑀸𑀫𑀸 (gāmā) or 𑀕𑀸𑀫𑀸𑀳𑀺 (gāmāhi) or 𑀕𑀸𑀫𑀸𑀳𑀺𑀁𑀢𑁄 (gāmāhiṃto)	—
Genitive	𑀕𑀸𑀫𑀲𑁆𑀲 (gāmassa)	𑀕𑀸𑀫𑀸𑀡 (gāmāṇa) or 𑀕𑀸𑀫𑀸𑀡𑀁 (gāmāṇaṃ)
Locative	𑀕𑀸𑀫𑀫𑁆𑀫𑀺 (gāmammi) or 𑀕𑀸𑀫𑁂 (gāme)	𑀕𑀸𑀫𑁂𑀲𑀼 (gāmesu) or 𑀕𑀸𑀫𑁂𑀲𑀼𑀁 (gāmesuṃ)
Vocative	𑀕𑀸𑀫 (gāma) or 𑀕𑀸𑀫𑀸 (gāmā)	𑀕𑀸𑀫𑀸 (gāmā)

Descendants

• Assamese: গাঁও (gãü)
• Awadhi: गांव (gāmv)
• Bengali: গাঁ (gã)
• Bhojpuri: गांव (gānv)
• Garhwali: गाउँ (gāũ)
• Old Gujarati: गाम (gāma)
  • Gujarati: ગામ (gām)
  • Marwari: गांव (gāmv)
• Hajong: গাও
• Hindustani:

  Hindi: गांव (gāmv), गाँव (gā̃v)3

  → English: gaon

  Urdu: گاؤں (gā'õ)

• Kamta: গাঁও (gãü)
• Konkani: gā̃v

  Devanagari script: गांव

  Kannada script: ಗಾಂವ

  Latin script: gaum

• Kumaoni: गाउँ (gāũ)
• Old Marathi:

  Modi script: 𑘐𑘰𑘄 (gāu), 𑘐𑘰𑘽𑘄 (gāṃu), 𑘐𑘰𑘌 (gāo), 𑘐𑘰𑘪 (gāva), 𑘐𑘰𑘽𑘪 (gāṃva) 𑘐𑘼𑘽 (gauṃ)

  Devanagari script: गाउ (gāu), गांउ (gāṃu), गाओ (gāo), गाव (gāva), गांव (gāṃva) गउं (gaüṃ)

  • Marathi: गाव (gāv)
• Maithili: गांओ (gā̃o)
• Nepali: गाउँ (gāũ)
• Odia: ଗାଁ (gã)
• Punjabi:

  Gurmukhi script: ਗਰਾਂ (garā̃), ਗ੍ਰਾਂ (grā̃), ਗਾਉਂ (gāũ)

  Shahmukhi script: گراں (grāṉ), گاؤں (gā'oṉ)

• Romani: gav
  • Kalo Finnish Romani: gau
  • → German: Kaff
• Sindhi: गांउ (gā̃u)
• Sinhalese: ගම (gama)
• Sylheti: ꠉꠣꠅ (gao)

See also

• 𑀡𑀅𑀭 (ṇaara, “city”)

References

• Pischel, Richard, Jha, Subhadra (contributor) (1957) Comparative Grammar of the Prakrit Languages, Varanasi: Motilal Banarasidass, page 366.
• Woolner, Alfred Cooper, An Introduction to Prakrit‎, Calcutta: Baptist Mission Press, 1917, page 200.
• Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “grāˊma”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press, page 235